Altered EEG patterns co-vary with specific improvements in mind health at summer camp

The mental health and wellbeing, or ‘mind health’, which we define as the ability to navigate challenges and function productively, of adolescents has declined substantially over the last two decades, corresponding with fundamental changes in their daily environments. These include the widespread adoption of smartphones and social media, as well as reduced sleep and time spent in nature. Device-free, nature-rich summer camps represent a substantial shift in environment and have been associated with behavioral and mental health benefits. However, the neural changes accompanying such environmental shifts remain poorly understood. Here, in a prospective pre–post study, we examined EEG spectral and complexity measures in adolescents ( N = 30) before and after a three-week device-free, nature-rich residential summer camp. Following three weeks of camp participation, participants exhibited steeper aperiodic slopes, increased DFA scaling exponents, reduced entropy and Lempel–Ziv complexity, and decreased alpha and beta power, a convergent pattern consistent with a shift toward more structured or less random neural dynamics characterized by relatively greater inhibitory influence. These neural changes co-varied with reduced restlessness and hyperactivity, improved focus and sleep quality, and improved overall mind health in a subsample ( N = 23) with both EEG recordings and self-reported mind health data. Precision analyses further indicated that participants exhibiting EEG changes beyond a defined threshold were also likely to show improvements in specific mind health metrics, with precision reaching up to 100%. Overall, participation in a device-free, nature-rich residential camp was associated with measurable shifts in neural dynamics alongside improvements in self-reported mind health, suggesting that sustained changes in the adolescent environment may influence both neural and psychological functioning.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07761143 .