SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — B ai HQ b ai t ai i g is ow bei g used by SWAT teams, police depa tme ts, she iff’s offices a d othe fi st espo de s ac oss the wo ld to help thousa ds of public safety pe so el make faste a d bette split-seco d decisio s. The Natio al Tactical Office s Associatio (NTOA) bega offe i g b ai t ai i g fou yea s ago. At this yea ’s a ual gathe i g of SWAT teams, the NTOA p ese ted B ai HQ with the Spi it of NTOA Awa d — give a ually to a i dividual o o ga izatio fo “outsta di g pa t e ship, visio a y leade ship, a d a e du i g commitme t to e ha ci g office pe fo ma ce, a d savi g lives.”
“We a e ho o ed a d humbled by this ecog itio ,” said D . He y Mah cke, a leadi g esea che i b ai plasticity a d the CEO of Posit Scie ce, which makes B ai HQ. “We we e fi st app oached by the NTOA five yea s ago about how b ai t ai i g might co t ibute to peak pe fo ma ce a d bette split-seco d decisio -maki g.”
Shoot/Do ’t Shoot Study shows bette split-seco d decisio s
“Whe we fi st hea d f om NTOA,” D . Mah cke co ti ued, “I assumed the call was p ompted by a “Shoot/Do ’t Shoot” study i law e fo ceme t that was published i The Ame ica Jou al of Psychology. But I lea ed f om NTOA Executive Di ecto Tho Eells that he’d hea d about ou wo k with special fo ces — usi g B ai HQ fo t ai i g i maki g the ight split-seco d decisio s i high-stakes situatio s. It also helped that Steve Mesca , a NTOA boa d membe a d egula B ai HQ use , u de stood fi stha d the dema ds placed o the tactical p ofessio al.”
I the Shoot/Do ’t Shoot study, i depe de t esea che s a domized expe ie ced office s i to B ai HQ t ai i g desig ed to imp ove i hibitio a d split-seco d decisio s a d a co t ol g oup who t ai ed o othe exe cises ( ot ta geti g those skills). The esea che s fou d a small amou t of the ight B ai HQ t ai i g (less tha 6 hou s) sig ifica tly imp oved pe fo ma ce i espo di g app op iately to th eat ve sus o -th eat situatio s. I a live-fi e shooti g a ge test, with ta gets poppi g up a d dow , office s we e to shoot ta gets holdi g gu s a d to withhold fi e f om the same ta gets holdi g a cell pho e. Resea che s epo ted a 29 pe ce t imp oveme t i ove all accu acy (shooti g the a med adve sa y a d withholdi g fi e f om the pe so holdi g a cell pho e), as well as a 60% imp oveme t i the mo e commo (a d fatal) e o of faili g to withhold fi e f om the o -th eat.
I two ece t videos, Eells desc ibes i teg ati g B ai HQ exe cises i to fi st espo de t ai i g a d office s discuss the impact of the t ai i g.
Steve Mesca , who se ved o the NTOA Boa d a d ow leads its t ai i g p og ams, fi st lea ed about B ai HQ f om special ope atio s ope ato s he oticed usi g the B ai HQ app.
“So, I t ied it,” Mesca said. “The e a e some simila ities i discipli es whe it comes to decisio -maki g.” He thought B ai HQ might e ha ce his ability to make “sou d decisio s, good quick decisio s, ve y c itical decisio s that could esult i life o death,” addi g he eally oticed his imp oveme ts afte co-wo ke s comme ted.
“Havi g the mi d as t ai ed a d eady as eve ythi g else p ovides fo t ue esilie cy,” Mesca added, oti g that the p essu es of SWAT wo k ove a ca ee have a ve y eal impact o me tal a d physical health.
Mo e tha a hu d ed studies of B ai HQ have show sig ifica t positive esults i agi g a d ac oss ume ous me tal health measu es, such as dep essive symptoms, a xiety, st ess, a d fatigue.
B ai HQ was built by a global team led by D . Mike Me ze ich, the Kavli Lau eate i Neu oscie ce (fo his discove y that the b ai is “plastic” — capable of chemical, physical, a d fu ctio al cha ge at a y age). Afte ha essi g plasticity i his co-i ve tio of the cochlea impla t to esto e hea i g to people with deaf ess, Me ze ich p oposed what is ow k ow as “digital the apeutics”— usi g softwa e to ewi e the b ai to add ess well-k ow dec eme ts f om agi g i p ocessi g speed, se so y p ocessi g accu acy, a d b ai chemical p oductio . B ai HQ was i ve ted with a goal of slowi g a d eve si g cog itive agi g a d we t o to be applied to b ai i ju ies, me tal ill esses, a d eu odege e ative diseases. Me ze ich c edits football lege d Tom B ady with teachi g him that those exe cises could also make a g eat b ai eve bette .
“Ou wo k i agi g, me tal ill esses, b ai i ju ies, a d eu odege e ative diseases, as well as ou wo k with the milita y o esilie ce a d ecove y a d i peak pe fo ma ce, all became eleva t to ou wo k with NTOA o imp ovi g the t ai i g, abilities, me tal health, a d esilie ce of office s, as well as thei ability to e joy a well-ea ed eti eme t,” added Mah cke. “I’ll be add essi g all of those topics i my sessio s with NTOA membe s at the C isis Negotiatio s a d Tactics co fe e ce this week i Phoe ix.”
B ai HQ has show be efits i mo e tha 300 studies. Such be efits i clude gai s i cog itio (atte tio , speed, memo y, decisio -maki g), i quality of life (dep essive symptoms, co fide ce a d co t ol, health- elated quality of life), a d i eal-wo ld activities (health outcomes, bala ce, d ivi g, wo kplace activities). B ai HQ is used by leadi g health pla s, leadi g medical ce te s, cli ics, a d commu ities, a d by elite athletes, the milita y, a d othe o ga izatio s focused o peak pe fo ma ce. Co sume s ca t y a B ai HQ exe cise fo f ee daily at b ai hq.com. Fi st espo de s ca lea mo e o the NTOA website.
A photo accompa yi g this a ou ceme t is available at https://www.globe ewswi e.com/NewsRoom/Attachme tNg/a4fc2611-a848-41fa-9194-d069859b99c7
CONTACT: Co tact: media@b ai hq.com
