The SMART MCI project is led by teams from the University of Lincoln and the Institute of Mental Health in Nottingham.  

SMART – Strengthening Mental Abilities with Relational Training – is an online ‘brain training’ programme, which aims to improve thinking skills. SMART has been found to improve a range of thinking skills in children. Within a clinical sample of Alzheimer’s dementia patients, improvements were also found. Our research aims to determine whether SMART can be tested as a treatment for improving thinking skills in people with MCI.

The SMART MCI project is currently underway. This project aims to determine whether we can do a large study to test if SMART improves thinking skills in people with MCI. Three out of every four participants will be offered access to an evidence-based brain-training intervention. As this is a feasibility stage of research it is difficult to determine immediate impact for the NHS. However, we are taking a necessary step towards developing a definitive trial: which could inform treatment options for improving thinking skills in people with MCI.

Chief Investigator: Dr Nima Golijani-Moghaddam (University of Lincoln)

PPI Lead: Dr James Turton

Local Investigator: Dr Nikos Evangelou, neurologist.

Collaborators: Prof Roshan das Nair, Dr David Dawson, Dr Annie Hawton, Dr Graham Law, Dr Bryan Roche, and Dr Elise Rowan.

Post-Doctoral Research Associate: Dr Rupert Burge

Assistant Clinical Psychologist: Alexandra Frost

If you are interested in hearing more about the SMART MS project, please contact:

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Twitter: @SMARTMSStudy

This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant Reference Number NIHR201990).

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.