Domain-general behavioral gains and neural correlates of cognitive training in healthy populations: a neuroimaging meta-analysis

Preventive strategies to promote cognitive health are increasingly prioritized, yet the extent to which cognitive training yields domain-general behavioral gains and neural correlates remains unclear. Here we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 67 neuroimaging studies to quantify the domain-general effects of cognitive training on cognitive performance and task-related activation changes, and to test associations between behavioral gains and neural adaptations. Across training domains, task paradigms and age groups, cognitive training significantly improved cognitive task performance (Hedges’ g = 0.546, 95% CI = 0.414–0.678; t = 8.149; p < 0.0001), accompanied by increased activation in the right superior parietal lobule (R.SPL) and decreased activation in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Regression analyses further indicated that cognitive improvements were closely associated with these activation changes, with training completion rate emerging as a key moderator. Collectively, these findings identify candidate domain-general neural signatures of cognitive training–induced plasticity and provide an initial empirical basis for the evidence-informed design and optimization of cognitive training interventions.