#cognitivehealth — Public Fediverse posts

Fuel your mind with nature's power! These delicious superfoods are packed with vitamins and antioxidants to boost your cognitive health. #BrainFoods #CognitiveHealth #HealthyEating

DATE: October 16, 2026 at 06:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------

TITLE: Some adults’ brains look older than their age, and gut biology may be part of the picture

URL: https://www.psypost.org/some-adults-brains-look-older-than-their-age-and-gut-biology-may-be-part-of-the-picture/

Some young and middle-aged adults have brain activity patterns that look “older” than their actual age, and new research suggests these differences are linked to thinking skills, mood, and the gut. Adults with older-looking brain patterns tended to score somewhat lower on tests of working memory and executive function, report more depressive symptoms, and have modestly different gut bacteria and stool chemicals. The findings were published in eBioMedicine.

A central concept in this research is the brain aging index. Researchers train a computer model to estimate a person’s age from brain scans alone, and the index is the gap between that estimate and the person’s actual age. A positive score means the brain looks older than expected, while a negative score means it looks younger. The authors of a 2017 review argued that such estimates could serve as a marker of brain health, pointing to evidence that an older-appearing brain is linked to poorer cognitive and physical aging and a higher risk of death.

Most of this research has focused on older adults who are already at risk for cognitive decline. However, the authors of a 2024 review argued that middle age may mark a turning point, with biological changes during this period shaping a person’s later brain health.

At the same time, evidence has grown linking the digestive system to brain health. A 2025 study comparing people with Alzheimer’s disease, people with mild cognitive impairment, and healthy adults found that gut bacteria and stool chemicals shifted step by step across these groups, and these shifts were tied to brain shrinkage and poorer thinking skills. A study covered by PsyPost in 2024 similarly found that depressed adults tend to have an imbalance of gut bacteria that relates to altered brain connectivity.

This progression of research led Kanhao Zhao, who conducted the study during his postdoctoral training under Arpana Church at the Church Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, to test whether gut biology relates to early brain aging in young and middle-aged adults. The work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants awarded to Church.

“Most brain-age research has focused on older adults or people who already have neurological disease,” Zhao, who is now a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, told PsyPost. “We therefore wanted to ask whether meaningful differences in brain aging could already be detected in young and mid-life adults, and whether these differences were linked not only to cognition and mental health, but also to gut microbial and metabolic features.”

To investigate this, the research team analyzed brain imaging and biological data from healthy adults aged 18 to 65. They divided the data into three separate groups to ensure their results were consistent across different samples: a discovery group of 674 people, a replication group of 444 people, and an independent group of 344 people.

The participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. This technique measures changes in blood oxygen levels, which rise and fall with brain activity, while a person lies still and rests. By tracking which regions rise and fall together, a pattern known as functional connectivity, scientists can see how different brain regions communicate.

Participants also completed various tests to measure their cognitive and emotional health. These included assessments of intelligence, working memory, executive function, and self-reported questionnaires for depressive symptoms.

In the independent group of participants, the researchers collected stool samples. They analyzed these samples using metagenomics, which sequences the genetic material of the bacteria living in the gut, and metabolomics, which identifies specific metabolites. Metabolites are the small chemical molecules left over from cellular processes, digestion, and bacterial activity.

Across all three groups, the model’s age estimates tracked participants’ actual ages reasonably well, though imperfectly: its predictions were off by about 6 to 9 years on average. People whose brains looked older than expected showed a consistent pattern. A higher index score was associated with stronger connections involving the default mode network, a set of regions most active during inward-focused thought such as daydreaming and recalling memories, and the frontoparietal network, which helps control goal-directed thinking. The strongest links involved the precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex, regions along the brain’s midline that are involved in internal thought and memory retrieval.

At the same time, people with older-appearing brains showed weaker connections in the ventral attention network, a brain system that helps humans orient themselves to sudden changes in their environment. This network imbalance was linked to worse performance on cognitive tests. Individuals with a higher brain aging index scored lower on performance IQ, working memory, and executive function tasks, while also reporting more symptoms of depression.

These associations were modest. Correlations between brain-age scores and individual test results ranged from about 0.12 to 0.38, meaning brain-age scores accounted for at most about 14 percent of the variation in any single measure, and usually much less. Not every measure lined up: verbal IQ showed no reliable link in either group where it was tested, and several test scores were linked in one group but not another. In the first group, the links held after accounting for participants’ actual ages.

“The effects should be viewed as meaningful population-level associations rather than as a diagnostic test for an individual person,” Zhao noted. “An important strength of the study is that the brain-age pattern was examined across multiple independent cohorts, but the associations with cognition, mood, and gut biology were generally modest. At this stage, the brain aging index is better understood as a research marker of individual variability in brain health than as something that could tell a person how quickly their brain is aging in a clinical setting.”

The gut findings were similarly small. In the 182 participants with complete data, a combined profile of gut bacteria and stool chemicals accounted for only about 2 percent of the differences in brain-age scores, though this was more than would be expected by chance. The bacteria most strongly tied to older-looking brains in this profile included species of Clostridium and Collinsella, and the stool chemicals included ceramides and 24-hydroxycholesterol, fat-related molecules involved in inflammation, cellular stress, and cholesterol processing.

Some of these bacteria have been tied to inflammation in other research, but the authors note that in these healthy adults they appeared alongside bacteria typically associated with a healthy gut. People with younger-looking brains, by contrast, had higher levels of stool chemicals related to neurotransmitter function and amino acid processing. One of the molecules most strongly tied to a younger-looking brain was estetrol, a form of estrogen, which the authors suggest could hint at a protective role for reproductive hormone pathways.

“What I found particularly interesting was that the signal was not confined to the brain,” Zhao said. “We observed coordinated associations involving functional brain networks, cognition and mood, and gut-derived biological features, including microbial and metabolic signatures related to lipid metabolism, immune and vascular processes, synaptic function, and mitochondrial pathways. This convergence across very different biological levels suggests that understanding brain aging may ultimately require looking beyond the brain alone.”

Notably, the cognitive and mood measures were tied to the brain network patterns rather than directly to any specific gut bacteria or stool chemicals.

“One important message is that people of the same chronological age can show meaningful differences in how their brain networks resemble patterns associated with aging,” Zhao explained. “We also found that these brain-age differences were linked to patterns in gut microbes and metabolites, suggesting that brain aging may be related to broader biological processes across the brain-gut system rather than occurring in isolation.”

As with all research, there are a few things to keep in mind. “The most important caveat is that this was a cross-sectional observational study, so our findings do not establish causality,” Zhao emphasized. “We cannot conclude that particular gut microbes or metabolites cause the brain to age faster, nor that changing the microbiome would necessarily make the brain ‘younger.'”

Because everything was measured at a single point in time, it is also possible that brain changes influence the gut, or that other factors, such as diet, shape both. Zhao also noted that the brain-age measure is a “statistical index derived from functional connectivity, rather than a literal measurement of the biological age of a person’s brain.”

Additionally, the gut microbiome analysis was conducted on 182 participants, mostly women, and the cohorts drew on datasets from the U.S. and Japan. The researchers note that larger, more balanced studies will be necessary to verify the exact bacterial and metabolic signatures identified in this group. The genetic sequencing used in the study also identifies broad bacterial species but cannot pinpoint specific bacterial strains, which might have differing effects on human health.

“The next step is to move from cross-sectional associations toward longitudinal and prospective studies,” Zhao said. “We would like to determine whether these brain-body signatures can predict future cognitive trajectories and whether they change in response to modifiable factors or interventions. More broadly, we are interested in expanding beyond the brain-gut axis toward a more integrated view of brain-body aging. Emerging research suggests that brain function is also closely related to cardiovascular physiology and other organ systems.”

“In future studies, we hope to combine brain imaging with cardiac imaging, physiological signals such as ECG and PPG, and molecular measurements to better understand how aging processes across different organ systems interact,” he added. “Ultimately, our goal is to identify multimodal biomarkers that explain why individuals age differently and may eventually help guide personalized strategies for maintaining brain health.”

An ECG records the heart’s electrical activity, while PPG uses light sensors, like those in many smartwatches, to track pulse and blood flow.

Studying these processes over time could help scientists develop interventions to maintain brain health during middle age. “I think an important broader message is that brain aging is unlikely to be a process that begins suddenly in old age,” Zhao concluded. “Individual differences in brain network organization and their relationships with cognition and peripheral biology can already be observed much earlier in adulthood. Understanding these earlier differences may eventually help us shift the focus from treating late-stage decline toward identifying trajectories of brain health before substantial impairment develops.”

The study, “Brain-gut crosstalk associated with brain ageing in young and mid-life adults: a multicohort cross-sectional study,” was authored by Kanhao Zhao, Gabriel A. Vignolle, Jennifer S. Labus, Emeran A. Mayer, Allison Vaughan, Marika Dy, Priten Vora, Ming W. Hung, Keith Vossel, Chris Gill, Daniele Del Rio, Catherine Stanton, R. Paul Ross, John F. Cryan, Rima Kaddurah-Daouk, Yu Zhang, and Arpana Church.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/some-adults-brains-look-older-than-their-age-and-gut-biology-may-be-part-of-the-picture/

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #BrainAging #BrainGutAxis #GutBrainConnection #MidlifeHealth #CognitiveHealth #FunctionalConnectivity #GutMicrobiome #MentalHealthResearch #NeurodegenerationPrevention #BrainImagingInsights

#AlzheimersAwareness #BrainHealth #PodcastDiscussion #PreventativeMeasures #DiseaseManagement #CognitiveHealth #HealthyLifestyle #EarlyIntervention #MedicalPodcast #wellnessindustry #wellnessbox #wellnessweek #wellnessplanner #wellnessalthletic #HealthAndWellness https://mastodon.social/@biohackingpathway/117442277175278983

DATE: October 12, 2026 at 05:23AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEED

TITLE: Scientists find hidden driver of aging and a simple amino acid that fights memory loss in mice

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261009025708.htm

Scientists discovered that declining levels of a protein called Menin may help drive aging, and restoring it in older mice reversed several age-related changes in just 30 days. Even more surprisingly, supplementing with a simple amino acid called D-serine improved memory and learning, offering a potential new approach to age-related cognitive decline.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261009025708.htm

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AgingResearch #MeninProtein #DSerine #MemoryLoss #CognitiveHealth #AgingScience #MiceStudy #Neuroscience #Longevity #BrainHealth

DATE: October 12, 2026 at 05:23AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Scientists find hidden driver of aging and a simple amino acid that fights memory loss in mice

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261009025708.htm

Scientists discovered that declining levels of a protein called Menin may help drive aging, and restoring it in older mice reversed several age-related changes in just 30 days. Even more surprisingly, supplementing with a simple amino acid called D-serine improved memory and learning, offering a potential new approach to age-related cognitive decline.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261009025708.htm

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #AgingResearch #MeninProtein #DSerine #MemoryLoss #CognitiveHealth #AgingScience #AminoAcids #Neuroscience #MiceStudy #BrainHealth

"While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning."

Kosmyna et al, 2025

https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/

#LLM #AI #CognitiveHealth #education

DATE: October 7, 2026 at 08:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------

TITLE: Food insecurity in later life is linked to higher odds of probable dementia

URL: https://www.psypost.org/food-insecurity-in-later-life-is-linked-to-higher-odds-of-probable-dementia/

An analysis of more than two decades of data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics found that older adults who experienced food insecurity in later life had roughly twice the odds of screening positive for probable dementia, compared with those who had reliable access to food. People who experienced food insecurity only in middle age did not show a statistically significant increase in odds. The paper was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

People who do not have reliable access to enough nutritious food are considered to be experiencing food insecurity. In the United States, food insecurity among households with older adults has nearly doubled over the past two decades.

Food insecurity is linked to a range of health problems, including poor diet quality, cardiometabolic disease, psychological distress, and worse mental health. Growing evidence also suggests that it may affect the brain, with food-insecure older adults showing poorer cognitive functioning and a higher risk of dementia. These associations tend to remain even after differences in education, income, and wealth are taken into account.

Researchers are increasingly interested in whether the timing of food insecurity matters. Studies in Burkina Faso, Malaysia, and China have found that older adults who recalled experiencing hunger or food insecurity in childhood were more likely to show cognitive impairment or dementia decades later. Food insecurity during middle adulthood may also be important, as the share of people experiencing food insecurity tends to be particularly high in this period of life.

Study author Cindy W. Leung of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of Michigan and her colleagues examined whether food insecurity in mid-life and in later life was associated with probable dementia among U.S. adults. They also wanted to see whether prolonged food insecurity, meaning food insecurity in both mid-life and later life, or repeated episodes of it, was linked to even higher risk.

The researchers analyzed data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), which they describe as the world’s longest-running nationally representative household panel survey. The study began in 1968 and has followed its original participants since then, with an oversample of low-income families that allows researchers to study poverty. Data were collected every year until 1997 and every two years since.

The analysis began with 2,685 respondents who completed the core survey in 1999, when they were between 43 and 59 years old. After excluding people with missing information on food security, dementia, or other key variables, the final sample included 2,051 participants. Fifty-six percent were women, and about three-quarters were non-Hispanic White.

Food security was measured every two years using a standard 18-item questionnaire from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which asks about experiences such as being unable to afford enough food over the past year. It was assessed in 1999, 2001, and 2003, which the researchers treated as mid-life, and again in 2015, 2017, and 2019, which they treated as later life. The researchers defined food insecurity as low or very low food security and noted whether each participant experienced it in neither period, only one, or both. Participants averaged about 51 years old during the mid-life window and about 67 during the later-life window.

Dementia was assessed in 2019 and 2021 using the Eight Item Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia, a screening questionnaire that asks about changes over the past year in memory, judgment, orientation to time, and the ability to handle daily activities. The questions are designed to pick up early cognitive changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and other forms of dementia. A score of 2 or more out of 8 was classified as probable dementia, and the questionnaire could be answered by the participant or by another member of the household.

Most participants (86%) were food secure in both periods. About 3% experienced food insecurity in mid-life only, 5% in later life only, and 5% in both periods. Those who experienced food insecurity at either point tended to have lower incomes and less education and were more likely to be women or Black or Hispanic. About 20% of the sample screened positive for probable dementia.

After accounting for factors such as age, sex, race and ethnicity, education, income, marital status, employment, home ownership, and prior diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, participants who experienced food insecurity in both mid-life and later life had 2.18 times the odds of probable dementia compared with those who were food secure in both periods. Those who experienced food insecurity in later life only had 1.85 times the odds. In models that did not account for changes in these factors over time, the estimates were higher, at 2.96 and 2.52, respectively.

In terms of predicted probabilities, the typical estimated chance of probable dementia was about 11% for adults who were food secure in both periods and about 40% for those who were food insecure in both. People who were food insecure only in mid-life did not have significantly higher odds of probable dementia, although this group was small, at 88 people, so the estimate was imprecise.

The number of food-insecure years in later life also appeared to matter. Participants who were food insecure in two or three of the later-life surveys had about 2.6 to 3.2 times the odds of probable dementia, while repeated episodes in mid-life were not significantly associated with it. The results were similar for men and women and held when the researchers broadened the definition of food insecurity to include marginal food security.

“Food insecurity is an important social determinant of health that can impact cognitive impairment and probable dementia. Future research should investigate the roles of income and nutrition policies to alleviate food insecurity and to reduce the burden of cognitive impairment and dementias before older adulthood,” the study authors concluded.

The authors note that food insecurity is reversible and is the focus of programs such as food pantries, “Food is Medicine” initiatives that provide produce prescriptions or medically tailored meals, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). They raised concern that SNAP work requirements extended to adults aged 55 to 64 under a 2025 law could discourage participation among older adults and lead to more food insecurity.

There are some caveats to consider. The study was observational, so it cannot show that food insecurity causes dementia. Later-life food insecurity was measured close in time to the dementia screening, and because no cognitive data were collected in mid-life, the researchers could not rule out that early cognitive decline made it harder for some people to secure enough food, rather than the other way around. Unmeasured factors such as neighborhood conditions could also contribute to both.

The dementia measure was a screening tool rather than a clinical diagnosis, and food security was not measured between 2005 and 2013, leaving a gap in the middle of the study period. People excluded because of missing data tended to be poorer and less healthy, which the authors suggest may have made the associations appear weaker than they are. The study also included only people who lived long enough to be screened at age 65 or older, and it did not adjust for mental health, which is linked to both food insecurity and cognitive decline.

The paper, “Associations between mid-life and later-life food insecurity on probable dementia in a national sample of United States adults,” was authored by Cindy W. Leung, Noura E. Insolera, Heejin Lee, Julia A. Wolfson, Claire T. McEvoy, Esther M. Friedman, Steven G. Heeringa, and Wei Hao.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/food-insecurity-in-later-life-is-linked-to-higher-odds-of-probable-dementia/

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #FoodInsecurity #DementiaRisk #OlderAdultsHealth #CognitiveHealth #MidLifeToLaterLife #SNAP #FoodIsMedicine #PublicHealthResearch #AmericanJournalOfClinicalNutrition #PSIDstudy

https://www.europesays.com/ie/719251/ Large cognitive health study links speech patterns with brain aging #Alzheimer'sDisease #BiologicalAging #BrainAging #CognitiveHealth #DementiaResearch #Éire #EpigeneticClocks #FrontotemporalDementia #Health #HealthNews #IE #Ireland #LatinAmerica #MachineLearning #MedicalGoodNews #ReDLat #Research #Science #SocialExposome #SpeechAgeGap #SpeechBiomarkers #SpeechClock #TrinityCollegeDublin

DATE: October 2, 2026 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------

TITLE: Curious people tend to have more of the experiences linked to cognitive reserve, study finds

URL: https://www.psypost.org/curious-people-tend-to-have-more-of-the-experiences-linked-to-cognitive-reserve-study-finds/

A small study in the Netherlands found that people with a more curious personality tended to score higher on indicators of cognitive reserve, such as education and mentally stimulating leisure activities. However, neither curiosity nor these indicators of cognitive reserve were associated with performance on cognitive tests. The paper was published in Personality and Individual Differences.

As people age, many experience gradual cognitive decline. However, not everyone experiences this decline at the same pace or at the same age. While some individuals show marked cognitive decline relatively early, others maintain normal cognitive abilities into very advanced age. To help explain these differences, scientists developed the concept of cognitive reserve.

Cognitive reserve is the brain’s ability to maintain cognitive functioning despite aging, brain injury, or disease-related changes. It is thought to develop gradually across life through experiences that repeatedly engage the brain, such as education, intellectually demanding work, reading, learning new skills, and other mentally stimulating activities. In later life, greater cognitive reserve may help delay or reduce the cognitive effects of brain atrophy and other age-related changes, even though it does not necessarily prevent those physical changes from occurring.

One factor that may be of particular importance for building cognitive reserve is curiosity. Curious people are more likely to seek new information, explore unfamiliar experiences, and continue learning throughout adulthood. Activities encouraged by curiosity, such as reading books, learning languages, or exploring new places and ideas, may provide repeated cognitive stimulation over many years. Research has already linked the personality trait of openness to experience (a trait that also predisposes people to curious behaviors) to slower cognitive decline, suggesting that it may support resilience against it.

Study author Carolien Torenvliet and colleagues at Radboud University’s Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour explored the association between curiosity and various indicators of cognitive reserve. They also examined whether a curious personality (i.e., openness to experience and interest-based curiosity) was associated with cognitive abilities, and whether cognitive reserve might explain any such link.

Study participants were 106 adults recruited mainly from around Nijmegen in the Netherlands. They were between 40 and 85 years of age, with an average age of about 62, and 57% were women. People with current or past psychiatric or neurological disorders were excluded. Participants’ average estimated IQ was 118, well above the population average of 100.

Participants completed three questionnaires assessing curious personality: two measuring interest-based curiosity and one measuring openness to experience. They also completed the Dutch version of the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire, which estimates cognitive reserve from a person’s education, the complexity of their work, and their leisure activities. Finally, they completed three brief neuropsychological tests measuring memory, executive function, and processing speed.

Results showed that more curious individuals tended to score higher on indicators of cognitive reserve, specifically education and leisure activities, but not the complexity of their work. This association held after accounting for participants’ age. However, neither curiosity nor the cognitive reserve indicators were associated with performance on the cognitive tests.

“Although this study is limited by its cross-sectional design and relatively healthy sample, the results suggest that a curious personality may drive individual differences in cognitively stimulating experiences, but not cognitive abilities themselves,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the scientific understanding of cognitive reserve. However, it should be noted that the design of the study does not allow any causal inferences to be drawn from the results. Curiosity may lead people to pursue more education and stimulating activities, but those experiences could also foster curiosity.

In addition, cognitive reserve was estimated from participants’ own reports of their past education, work, and activities rather than measured directly. Finally, participants were healthy and had higher-than-average estimated intelligence, and the sample was relatively small for a study of this type, which may have made it harder to detect links with cognitive performance.

The paper, “Curious people, resilient minds? The role of a curious personality in cognitive reserve and cognitive abilities,” was authored by Carolien Torenvliet, Dirk Bertens, Joukje M. Oosterman, and Iris Wiegand.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/curious-people-tend-to-have-more-of-the-experiences-linked-to-cognitive-reserve-study-finds/

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #CuriosityAndCognition #CognitiveReserve #CuriousMinds #OpennessToExperience #MentalStimulation #EducationAndLeisure #CognitiveHealth #AgingAndBrain #Neurocognition #BrainResilience

DATE: October 2, 2026 at 10:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------

TITLE: The right side of the brain shows more signs of aging than the left, new study suggests

URL: https://www.psypost.org/the-right-side-of-the-brain-shows-more-signs-of-aging-than-the-left-new-study-suggests/

A recent study published in PNAS introduces a new artificial intelligence approach to map how different regions of the human brain age. By analyzing MRI scans in fine detail, the research provides evidence that aging does not happen evenly across the brain, with certain areas showing more advanced biological age in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.

Doctors and scientists use Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a technique that uses strong magnetic fields to create detailed images of the body’s internal structures, to estimate a person’s “brain age.” This metric tells us whether a person’s brain looks older or younger than their actual chronological age. An older-looking brain is often a risk factor for cognitive decline and neurodegenerative conditions.

Usually, researchers calculate a single, global brain age. But the human brain is a complex organ made of distinct regions, each handling different tasks. For instance, the frontal lobe is involved in complex decision-making, and the hippocampus plays a role in memory. Because these regions perform differently, they also tend to age at different rates. A single brain age score can hide these regional differences, making it harder to detect early signs of localized damage.

“Our earlier work focused on global brain age, where AI estimates how old a person’s brain appears from an MRI,” study author Andrei Irimia, an associate professor of gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, told PsyPost. “That provides a useful summary, but it reduces the entire brain to a single number, making the result difficult to interpret biologically.”

“We therefore developed local brain age, which asks not only ‘How old does this brain look?’ but ‘How old does each part of this brain look?'” Irimia explained. “The resulting model transforms a structural MRI into a spatial map of local brain age.”

The research, led by Nikhil N. Chaudhari with Irimia and colleagues at the Irimia Lab, aimed to create a more detailed map of brain aging. The authors wanted to measure biological aging at a fine-grained level, breaking the brain down into tiny three-dimensional pixels called voxels. By doing this, they hoped to pinpoint exactly where the brain is aging the fastest and how these specific regional changes relate to cognitive decline.

To build their localized map of brain aging, the scientists trained a deep learning computer model using MRI scans from 14,748 cognitively healthy adults ranging in age from 19 to 100. “Scale and interpretability were important aspects of the project,” Irimia noted. “We trained the model using 14,748 cognitively normal participants from multiple imaging cohorts, exposing it to substantial variation in age, anatomy, and imaging data.”

“Our goal was not simply to produce an AI model with good predictive accuracy, but to generate an output that neuroscientists can map directly back onto brain anatomy,” he said. “In that sense, local brain age is intended to provide a bridge between AI-based prediction and questions about the biology of human aging.”

After training the system, the research team tested it on a separate group of 1,985 individuals from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. This testing group included 1,102 adults with normal cognitive function, 354 with mild cognitive impairment, and 529 with Alzheimer’s disease.

When observing the cognitively healthy adults, the model’s estimates were off by about 5.9 years on average. It identified a distinct pattern of aging across the brain. The frontal and temporal lobes, which are heavily involved in higher-level thinking and memory, exhibited a more advanced biological age compared to regions at the back of the brain, such as the visual processing centers in the occipital lobe.

The researchers also looked closely at the brain’s folded outer layer, the cerebral cortex. They found that the sulci, which are the deep grooves between the folds, appeared biologically older than the gyri, the outward-facing ridges of the folds. On average, the local brain age gap (the difference between the estimated biological age and the person’s actual chronological age) was 0.40 years higher in the sulci. The team also observed that the right hemisphere of the brain generally showed an older biological age than the left hemisphere, a pattern that persisted when the researchers retrained the model on a sample balanced between left- and right-handed people.

“The left–right asymmetry was particularly interesting,” Irimia told PsyPost. “The model estimated systematically higher local brain ages in the right hemisphere than in the left, and this difference remained when we investigated whether handedness in the training data could account for it. We do not yet know what produces this asymmetry, but it raises an interesting question about whether structural aging may differ between the two hemispheres.”

When comparing the groups, the researchers found that patients with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment had older local brain ages in specific regions known to be affected early in neurodegeneration. In Alzheimer’s patients, subcortical structures like the pallidum and putamen, which help regulate movement and some types of learning, showed brain age gaps about 3.5 to 3.6 years larger than those of cognitively healthy adults. The hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped structure important for forming new memories, appeared more than three years older on average in the Alzheimer’s group compared to the healthy adults.

“The main message is that the brain does not appear to age uniformly,” Irimia said. “Different regions can exhibit different aging patterns within the same person, and these regional differences become more pronounced in cognitive impairment. This gives us a way to move beyond a single estimate of overall brain age and investigate where aging-related structural differences occur.”

The team also analyzed how these localized aging gaps related to performance on cognitive tests. In patients with Alzheimer’s disease, having an older local brain age in regions like the right pallidum strongly correlated with worse scores on general cognitive screening tests and a measure of everyday functioning. These associations were much weaker in people with mild cognitive impairment and largely absent in healthy adults.

The findings are in line with research covered by PsyPost in May 2026, which demonstrated that mapping regional structural changes across the brain with MRI can track neurodegeneration across the progression from healthy aging to Alzheimer’s disease. The new study differs slightly in its approach. The previous research compared scans to an established Alzheimer’s structural vulnerability blueprint, whereas the current model estimates localized biological brain aging at the voxel level without relying on a pre-existing disease map.

As with all research, there are a few things to keep in mind. The artificial intelligence model was trained using research-grade MRI scans, which are typically much higher quality than the standard scans taken in everyday clinical settings. It is unknown if the system would perform as accurately on the lower-resolution images typically produced by hospital equipment.

Because of this and other factors, the tool is not yet ready for everyday medical use. “I would view local brain age primarily as a research tool at this stage rather than a clinical test,” Irimia noted. “Its importance is that it provides spatial information that is lost when brain aging is summarized with a single number. The next question is whether these regional patterns can eventually help us understand differences in cognitive aging or predict clinically meaningful trajectories, which will require further longitudinal validation.”

Additionally, the model was trained exclusively on the brains of cognitively healthy adults. The researchers suggest that future versions of the software might benefit from training on the brains of individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Including those cases could help the system become more sensitive to specific disease-related changes.

Finally, the study analyzed images captured at a single point in time, with limited follow-up data. Because of this, it is not possible to say whether having an older local brain age directly predicts that a healthy individual will eventually develop cognitive impairment. Tracking individuals over many years with repeated scans is a necessary next step to determine if these local age gaps can serve as an early warning system for dementia.

Irimia echoed this caution against overinterpreting a single scan. “An ‘older’ local brain age does not by itself mean that someone has Alzheimer’s disease or will develop it,” he clarified. “The method identifies structural MRI patterns associated with aging; determining whether it can predict an individual’s future disease trajectory will require longitudinal validation. The longitudinal examples in this study are encouraging, but we regard them as supportive rather than definitive validation.”

Looking forward, the team hopes to uncover the root causes of these regional differences. “A major next step is understanding what local brain age represents biologically,” Irimia told PsyPost. “We want to relate these spatial aging patterns to vascular and cardiovascular health, metabolic factors, lifestyle, and other biomarkers to understand why some regions appear to age faster than others. Longitudinal studies will be particularly important for determining whether changes in local brain age can track aging trajectories and identify factors associated with healthier brain aging.”

The study, “Deep learning maps local brain aging in relation to cognition across human adulthood,” was authored by Nikhil N. Chaudhari, Owen M. Vega Huerta, Samayan Bhattacharya, Nahian F. Chowdhury, Andrei Irimia, and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/the-right-side-of-the-brain-shows-more-signs-of-aging-than-the-left-new-study-suggests/

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #BrainAging #LocalBrainAge #MRIAnalysis #Neurodegeneration #AlzheimersResearch #BrainImaging #AgingBrain #CognitiveHealth #Neuroscience #AIinMedicine

DATE: October 1, 2026 at 08:26AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHOLOGY FEED

TITLE: This diet may slow brain aging by 2.5 years

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260930225503.htm

People who followed the MIND diet more closely showed slower brain shrinkage and less grey matter loss over time, with the strongest differences equivalent to about 2.5 years of delayed brain aging. Berries and poultry were linked with healthier brain changes, while sweets and fried fast foods were associated with greater tissue loss.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260930225503.htm

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #MINDdiet #BrainHealth #AgingWell #BrainAging #HealthyEating #BerryBenefits #PoultryProtein #NoProcessedSugars #HealthyFatsAndFruits #CognitiveHealth

DATE: October 1, 2026 at 08:26AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: This diet may slow brain aging by 2.5 years

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260930225503.htm

People who followed the MIND diet more closely showed slower brain shrinkage and less grey matter loss over time, with the strongest differences equivalent to about 2.5 years of delayed brain aging. Berries and poultry were linked with healthier brain changes, while sweets and fried fast foods were associated with greater tissue loss.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260930225503.htm

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #MINDdiet #BrainHealth #AgingBrain #DietAndBrain #BerryBenefits #PoultryHealth #HealthyEating #BrainAging #CognitiveHealth #FoodChoicesMatter

DATE: October 1, 2026 at 09:00AM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------

TITLE: Losing deep belly fat may slow brain aging and protect memory

URL: https://www.psypost.org/losing-deep-belly-fat-may-slow-brain-aging-and-protect-memory/

Losing deep belly fat rather than just overall body weight is linked to slower brain aging and better cognitive function years later. The research, published in Nature Communications, suggests that targeting this specific type of fat might help protect the brain from age-related decline.

Visceral fat wraps deep around internal organs, while subcutaneous fat sits just beneath the skin and is more visible. Visceral fat is highly metabolically active and frequently releases inflammatory molecules that can travel and affect the whole body, including the brain. Previous research linked high visceral fat to cognitive decline, but it remained unknown if actively losing this fat could protect brain structure over the long term. Scientists needed to determine if reducing this specific fat depot offered lasting neurological benefits.

Lead authors Dafna Pachter and Hadar Klein, along with corresponding author Iris Shai and colleagues from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, conducted the research. They wanted to understand if sustained reductions in specific fat depots could preserve brain health. To investigate this, they utilized a wealth of long-term data from several earlier clinical trials.

The researchers first looked at 533 adults who had participated in four dietary and lifestyle trials five to sixteen years earlier. These participants, who were mostly male and in their early sixties, underwent magnetic resonance imaging to measure both their brain volume and abdominal fat. They also completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a standard test used to detect cognitive impairment.

The team found that individuals with lower amounts of visceral fat scored consistently higher on the cognitive tests. This relationship was heavily influenced by brain volume, with the negative association between visceral fat and cognitive scores appearing most pronounced in people who had relatively preserved brain structures. Body mass index, a standard measure of weight relative to height, did not show these same relationships with cognitive performance or brain structure. This suggests that body mass index alone might not capture the specific neurodegenerative risks posed by deep abdominal fat.

Next, the team examined a subset of 295 participants who had complete abdominal fat data across three time points. These measurements were taken at the start of their original trial, at eighteen months, and at a final follow-up several years later. The researchers calculated the cumulative exposure to abdominal fat over the years for each individual.

The results showed that long-term exposure to high levels of visceral fat predicted lower cognitive test scores. In contrast, cumulative exposure to subcutaneous fat did not show this negative relationship with memory and cognition. This difference highlights the unique metabolic risks associated with visceral fat compared to fat stored under the skin.

The researchers then analyzed whether the initial fat lost during the eighteen-month trials predicted later brain health. For 297 participants, they compared the change in fat during the intervention to brain scans taken five to ten years later. A greater reduction in visceral fat during the trial predicted higher total brain volume at the long-term follow-up.

Reductions in visceral fat also predicted greater gray matter volume. Gray matter contains most of the brain’s neuronal cell bodies and is highly involved in processing sensory information, muscle control, and decision making. The analysis also showed that reductions in the proportion of visceral fat were associated with a healthier hippocampus. The hippocampus is a brain region central to learning and memory, and it is often one of the first areas affected by cognitive decline.

Reductions in superficial and deep subcutaneous fat during the intervention showed no such relationship with later brain structure. The relative change in body mass index during the intervention also did not predict long-term brain volume. This points to the specific role of visceral fat in neurodegeneration.

The team also evaluated 188 participants who underwent repeated brain scans at baseline, eighteen months, and five years. They tracked the rate at which the brain shrank over time, comparing it to the participants’ cumulative visceral fat exposure. People with higher long-term visceral fat experienced a faster rate of brain atrophy across multiple regions.

These individuals also showed a faster expansion of the brain’s ventricles. Ventricles are fluid-filled spaces in the brain that grow larger as surrounding brain tissue is lost. To understand the biological mechanism at play, the researchers tested various blood markers to see how they related to longitudinal brain changes.

They found that baseline levels of fasting blood sugar and a marker of long-term blood sugar control were the only metabolic factors related to the long-term brain changes. Lipid and inflammatory markers did not show this relationship over time. This suggests that the way visceral fat disrupts blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity may be the primary path through which it harms the brain. When visceral fat levels drop, improved glycemic control might alleviate stress on brain tissues.

Readers should note that the study population was eighty-six percent male and mostly overweight or obese. This might limit how well the findings apply to women or individuals with lower body weight. While the initial fat loss occurred during randomized controlled trials, the long-term follow-up was observational.

Because the participants’ habits after the trials ended were not strictly controlled, the study cannot definitively prove cause and effect for the long-term data. The researchers accounted for the participants’ diets during the follow-up period, but post-trial lifestyle choices could still influence the outcomes. The study also did not measure fat accumulation in organs like the liver and pancreas, which could play a role in brain health.

Future studies incorporating these measurements and specific biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s will help clarify the exact biological pathways linking abdominal fat to brain aging. These findings address a gap in the field, identifying visceral fat as a distinct, modifiable risk factor for neurodegeneration.

The study, “Sustained visceral fat loss is associated with attenuated brain atrophy and improved cognitive function in late midlife,” was authored by Dafna Pachter, Hadar Klein, Omer Kamer, Dana Tamar Goldberg Toren, Liav Alufer, Noa Ebstein Karamani, Tomer Atlas, Amit Yaary, Idan Hagbi, Yoash Chassidim, Ilan Shelef, Moti Salti, Frauke Beyer, Veronica Witte, Assaf Rudich, Uri Yoel, Gal Ben-Arie, Anat Yaskolka Meir, Alon Kaplan, Gal Tsaban, Hila Zelicha, Carmi Bartal, Lu Qi, Matthias Blüher, Michael Stumvoll, Uta Ceglarek, Berend Isermann, Dong D. Wang, Meir J. Stampfer, Frank B. Hu, Galia Avidan, and Iris Shai.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/losing-deep-belly-fat-may-slow-brain-aging-and-protect-memory/

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #VisceralFat #BrainAging #CognitiveHealth #MidlifeHealth #AbdominalFat #GrayMatterSupport #HippocampusHealth #MetabolicHealth #WeightLossWithBrainBenefits #NeurodegenerationPrevention

DATE: September 29, 2026 at 07:01AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY PSYCHIATIRY FEED

TITLE: Brain scans reveal which disorders are linked to faster brain aging

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260927225038.htm

A massive MRI study found that Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorders, and addiction are associated with distinct patterns of accelerated brain aging. The strongest effects appeared in Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment, while ADHD and autism showed no significant overall difference.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260927225038.htm

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #BrainAging #AlzheimersDisease #MildCognitiveImpairment #PsychiatricDisorders #Addiction #MRIstudy #Neurodegeneration #CognitiveHealth #ADHD #Autismresearch

DATE: September 27, 2026 at 08:56AM
SOURCE: SOCIALPSYCHOLOGY.ORG

TITLE: Popular Joint Supplement Linked to Faster Alzheimer’s Progression

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=191609&url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260927033754.htm

Source: Science Daily - Top Health

A widely used supplement for joint pain has been linked to a potentially concerning outcome in people with early cognitive problems. Researchers tied glucosamine use to a greater likelihood that mild cognitive impairment would progress to dementia. Mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, describes measurable problems with memory or thinking that are greater than expected with normal aging but do not necessarily interfere substantially with everyday...

URL: http://www.socialpsychology.org/client/redirect.php?from=rss_feed&id=191609&url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260927033754.htm

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #glucosamine #jointhealth #alzheimers #dementia #MCI #cognitivehealth #neuroscience #healthnews #sciencedaily #earlydementia

DATE: September 27, 2026 at 09:53AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Glucosamine, a popular joint supplement, linked to faster Alzheimer’s progression

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260927033754.htm

A large health-record analysis found that glucosamine use was associated with a 25% higher likelihood of mild cognitive impairment progressing to dementia. Lab experiments suggest the popular joint supplement may intensify an abnormal sugar-tagging process in the Alzheimer’s brain, although researchers say clinical trials are needed to determine whether it actually causes harm.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260927033754.htm

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Glucosamine #AlzheimersRisk #CognitiveHealth #JointHealth #DementiaProgression #MCItoDementia #AlzheimersResearch #SugarTagging #Neurodegeneration #HealthAlerts

How book clubs and bedtime stories protect and build healthier brains

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.optimistdaily.com/2026/09/how-book-clubs-and-bedtime-stories-protect-and-build-healthier-brains/

DATE: September 21, 2026 at 12:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------

TITLE: Daily variations in salivary cortisol may predict cognitive decline in older adults

URL: https://www.psypost.org/daily-variations-in-salivary-cortisol-may-predict-cognitive-decline-in-older-adults/

An analysis of the Chicago Health and Aging Project data found that cortisol level variations may be used to predict cognitive decline in older adults. Longitudinally, individuals with medium to high cortisol intraday variability showed slower cognitive decline whereas individuals with the highest average cortisol levels tended to show faster cognitive decline. The paper was published in JAMA Network Open.

As people grow older, their mental functioning gradually worsens. This is called age-related cognitive decline. Changes are typically seen in memory, processing speed, attention, and executive functioning, although the extent of decline varies considerably between individuals. Chronic stress may contribute to this process by repeatedly activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (the neural mechanism responsible for reactions to stress) and altering the regulation of the stress hormone cortisol.

Cortisol can influence brain regions that are especially important for memory and higher-order cognition, including the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Persistently elevated or dysregulated cortisol has therefore been investigated as a possible contributor to poorer cognitive functioning and greater risk of neurodegenerative disease.

Aside from cortisol, other systemic processes, such as inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and vascular health, may also affect the course of cognitive aging. Because many of the factors shaping these processes are potentially modifiable, age-related cognitive decline is increasingly studied within the broader field of dementia prevention.

Study author Ted K. S. Ng and his colleagues explored daily variations in salivary cortisol in a large and racially diverse group of older adults over an 11-year follow-up period. They chose to test saliva because it specifically measures physiologically active “free” cortisol and avoids the acute stress response caused by needle pricks during blood draws. They examined the associations between these variations and participants’ cognition, Alzheimer’s disease occurrence, and cognitive decline over time.

The study used data from the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP). CHAP is an established population-based longitudinal study of aging and Alzheimer’s disease among community-dwelling older adults on the South Side of Chicago in four Chicago neighborhoods with substantial proportions of Black and White older adults. CHAP data were collected in three-year cycles, starting in 1993, and with later data collection waves conducted up to 2012.

Data used in this analysis came from 3,895 participants who provided saliva samples for the study. To be included in the analysis, they needed to have provided saliva that allowed at least one valid cortisol level assessment. Participants’ average age was 77 years. Sixty-four percent of them were women, and 64 percent were Black. Eighty-three percent of these participants provided three valid saliva samples.

From the cortisol level data derived from saliva samples (cortisol levels from three collection time points), multiple indices of daily variations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) activity were created. The HPA axis is a hormone-regulating system linking the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands that controls the body’s stress response, including cortisol secretion. Its activity level reflects how strongly the body’s stress-regulation system is operating. Daily variations in its activity can provide much more nuanced information.

The participants also completed in-home interviews at three-year intervals that assessed their cognitive functioning. Additionally, clinical evaluations of a smaller group of participants explored whether they were developing Alzheimer’s disease. This was done by a neurologist who was not informed about participants’ cognitive assessment scores.

The results showed that participants with middle to high intraday variability in cortisol levels—meaning how much their cortisol levels fluctuated over the course of a single day—had higher cognitive functioning at the start of the study and slower cognitive decline. Participants with the highest intraday variability in cortisol levels also tended to have better cognitive functioning at the start but did not show slower decline. Participants with the highest average cortisol levels tended to show faster cognitive decline compared to those with the lowest levels. Their cognitive function scores at the start of the study tended to be the lowest. People whose cortisol levels stayed relatively high across the day instead of dropping normally, and people who showed the largest overall change in cortisol across the day, had lower cognitive scores at the start of the study than those with the lowest values on these patterns.

These associations did not depend on the race of participants. However, Black participants tended to have lower cortisol levels, smaller daily change, and lower intraday variability in cortisol levels.

“In this cohort study of Black and White older adults, altered diurnal [daily] cortisol patterning was associated with faster cognitive decline but not short-term AD [Alzheimer’s disease] risk. These findings support salivary cortisol as a potential early biomarker of neurocognitive aging,” the study authors concluded.

The study sheds light on the utility of cortisol as a biomarker of cognitive health in older adults. However, the study did not assess the stress levels participants perceived, so it remains unknown how much the variations in cortisol levels reflect reactions to environmental stressors and how much they reflect intrinsic physiological differences or changes in the biochemistry of the body.

The paper, “Salivary Cortisol and Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer Disease in Older Adults,” was authored by Ted K. S. Ng, Todd Beck, Yashwanth Sudhini, Robert S. Wilson, Denis A. Evans, and Kumar B. Rajan.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/daily-variations-in-salivary-cortisol-may-predict-cognitive-decline-in-older-adults/

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #SalivaryCortisol #CognitiveDecline #AgingResearch #CHAPStudy #NeurocognitiveAging #Biomarker #DementiaPrevention #AlzheimersDisease #StressBiology #CognitiveHealth

DATE: September 16, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------

TITLE: How growing up in East Germany affected cognitive health in later life

URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-growing-up-in-east-germany-affected-cognitive-health-in-later-life/

Older adults who lived in socialist East Germany before the 1989 reunification show better cognitive health and slower mental decline today than their West German peers. This unexpected advantage seems linked to the former East German educational system, which featured longer compulsory schooling and widespread early childcare. The findings were recently published in the journal Research on Aging.

Following World War II, Germany was split into two distinct nations with opposing political and economic models. The German Democratic Republic in the East operated as a socialist state with a planned economy. The Federal Republic of Germany in the West developed as a capitalist, liberal democracy.

When the countries reunited in 1989, citizens merged into a single legal and economic system. This unique history provides researchers with a natural experiment to study how entirely different societal structures affect human development over a lifetime.

The contrast between East and West Germany represents a rare situation where culturally similar populations were separated by completely different modes of governance. The East German welfare state prioritized collective investments, aiming to build a highly productive workforce through extensive health and education services.

Previous research has consistently shown that East Germans suffered worse physical health and lower life expectancies compared to West Germans. These physical disparities are largely attributed to differences in health behaviors, economic development, and cardiovascular health.

Sociologist Ariane Bertogg at the University of Konstanz and gerontologist Jeffrey E. Stokes at the University of Massachusetts Boston wanted to see if these political systems left a similar footprint on the aging brain. They tested two competing ideas about cognitive aging.

One theory suggested West Germans would perform better on cognitive tests in later life because they enjoyed stronger economic growth, better nutrition, and more civil liberties. Another theory proposed that East Germans might have an advantage due to their state funded educational system.

East Germany mandated ten years of compulsory schooling, compared to eight or nine years in West Germany. The East also provided universal early childcare and a less socially divided school structure.

Educational exposure early in life is a primary driver of cognitive reserve. Cognitive reserve is the brain’s ability to build dense neural connections, which helps it compensate for age related damage and delay the onset of memory loss.

To find out which societal effect dominated, Bertogg and Stokes analyzed information from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. They looked at a large sample of 5,231 older adults who lived in either East or West Germany in 1989.

Participants were at least 50 years old during the study and were interviewed multiple times over an average of four years. The survey included four standard tests used to evaluate brain health and predict dementia.

Working memory was tested by asking participants to recall a list of ten words. Executive function, which involves planning and focusing attention, was measured by having people name as many animals as they could in a set time.

Orientation was scored based on whether participants correctly knew the current date and day of the week. Finally, numeracy was tested by having participants repeatedly subtract the number seven from one hundred.

The researchers used statistical models to map each person’s cognitive trajectory over time. They adjusted the results for factors like childhood health, household income, and overall educational attainment.

To account for early life conditions, the researchers utilized a special retrospective module of the survey. Participants provided detailed histories regarding their childhood health, their perceived math and language skills relative to peers, and the number of books in their childhood homes.

The data revealed that individuals who lived in East Germany before reunification performed better across all four cognitive tests. They also showed a slower rate of cognitive decline as they aged.

West German residents experienced a steady decline in immediate memory and verbal fluency over the course of the study. In contrast, East German residents maintained stable scores or even slightly improved in these areas.

East Germans also demonstrated less steep declines in their orientation and numerical abilities. The researchers noted that these advantages were especially pronounced in men.

The results present an unusual paradox in aging research. Usually, populations with poorer physical health and lower life expectancies also suffer from worse cognitive aging.

Despite East Germans having higher rates of cardiovascular disease and earlier mortality on average, their aging brains remained more resilient. This suggests that the early benefits of an egalitarian, intensive education system can offset some of the physical wear and tear associated with a lower standard of living.

Next, Bertogg and Stokes examined whether a person’s age at the time of reunification influenced their cognitive outcomes. They wanted to know if experiencing the transition during a specific life stage altered the trajectory of mental aging.

They found that the gap in memory and verbal fluency was widest between East and West Germans who were in their forties when the Berlin Wall fell. West Germans in this age group showed relative disadvantages compared to their Eastern counterparts.

For numeracy and orientation, the East German advantage was highest among those who experienced reunification in their twenties. The cognitive differences between the two populations were largely absent among people who were already nearing retirement age in 1989.

The researchers interpret this as evidence of critical periods in adult development. Entering the workforce during reunification may have helped young East Germans maximize the benefits of their schooling within the new, larger economy.

Conversely, West Germans navigating reunification in their forties may have faced intense economic competition and family stress. Mid adulthood is often a period of high financial responsibility, making individuals more vulnerable to the mental health impacts of economic shifts.

The two nations differed in many ways beyond education and economics. West Germans faced higher exposure to environmental toxins like lead from gasoline, simply because car ownership was much higher there.

Social and psychological experiences also varied wildly depending on the side of the border. West Germany fostered a more open civil society, while East Germany relied on secret police and informants, which negatively impacted social trust.

The dataset did not allow the researchers to measure the direct impact of these specific social and environmental stressors on brain health. Future investigations will need to look at similar differences across other post socialist and capitalist European countries to see if the pattern holds.

Future studies will also need to track clinical diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, rather than just test scores. High performing individuals sometimes hit the maximum possible score on cognitive tests, which can mask early signs of decline.

Cognitive test performance does not capture the full reality of living with a neurodegenerative disease. Tracking actual medical records over time will clarify how these early life educational advantages translate into real world dementia prevention.

The study, “Is There a Cognitive Footprint of Political Systems? The Case of Separation and Reunification of East and West Germany and Its Association With Later Life Cognitive Health,” was authored by Ariane Bertogg and Jeffrey E. Stokes.

URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-growing-up-in-east-germany-affected-cognitive-health-in-later-life/

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #CognitiveHealth #EastGermany #CognitiveReserve #AgingBrain #EducationAndMemory #ReunificationGermany #DementiaPrevention #Gerontology #BrainAging #SocialSystemsImpact

Is Dehydration Causing Alzheimer's?

Discover how dehydration contributes to Alzheimer's and dementia, impacting people in their 40s and 50s. Learn about crucial brain health factors and preventative measures in this insightful discussion. Protect your brain health today!

Follow @biohackingpathway for more

#AlzheimersDisease #BrainHealth #Dehydration #Dementia #CognitiveHealth #HealthyAging #NeurologicalHealth #Alzheimers #PreventativeHealth #Wellness #Science #Cognition

Keep your mind sharp! Sliding Toys offers progressively challenging classic puzzles like Klotski for enjoyable daily mental stimulation. Preserve and enhance your cognitive agility in a fun, accessible way! What's your go-to brain exercise? #MindSharp #BrainGames #CognitiveHealth #Seniors #PuzzleLove

#AlzheimersDisease #Dementia #BrainHealth #Podcast #Health #Medical #Doctors #Prevention #Intervention #CognitiveHealth #healthyaging #wellness #wellbeing #healthyhabits #antiaging #fitness #healthy #wellnessjourney https://mastodon.social/@biohackingpathway/117203260850634286

Aging Brains Blend Memories Together Instead of Just Forgetting Them

https://studyfinds.com/aging-brains-blend-memories-together-instead-of-forgetting-them-study-finds/

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49535548

#HackerNews #agingbrains #memoryresearch #neuroscience #cognitivehealth #memoryblending

Trump Faces Memory Concerns Amid Cognitive Health Questions

📰 Original title: Disoriented Trump blanks at the podium

🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Users: It's clickbait ⚠️

View full AI summary https://en.killbait.com/trump-faces-memory-concerns-amid-cognitive-health-questions.html?utm_source=mastodon_social&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_social

#politics #memoryissues #cognitivehealth

#StrawberryBenefits #CognitiveHealth #BrainBoost #healthyhabits #biohackingsecrets #wellnesscoach #SuperfoodStrawberries #biohacker #HealthyAging #healthtips #strawberries #brainhealth #cognitivedecline #depression #healthyfoods #nutritiontips #ellagicacid #anthocyanins #superfoods #eathealthy https://mastodon.social/@biohackingpathway/117098567733511456

https://www.europesays.com/ie/636041/ GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Alzheimer’s Disease: Emerging Off-Label Neuroprotective Potential #Alzheimer's #Alzheimer'sDisease #BrainHealth #CognitiveHealth #dementia #Éire #glp1 #GLP1ReceptorAgonists #Health #IE #Ireland #Neurodegeneration #Neuroprotection #semaglutide

Money worries can leave a lasting mark on the brain, 80‑year study shows
#BrainHealth #FinancialStress #Brain #MentalHealth #Health #Dementia #CognitiveHealth #BrainAgeing #Science #Research #Aging #Poverty #Inequality
https://the-14.com/money-worries-can-leave-a-lasting-mark-on-the-brain-80-year-study-shows/

Blood test predicts Alzheimer’s disease years earlier. Boston;’s Mass General Hospital, researcher found that measuring a blood protein called p-tau217 predicted risk of future cognitive decline. #Alzheimers #BrainHealth #MedicalResearch #BloodTest #CognitiveHealth
https://www.instagram.com/p/DbOvCCNOh-B/

#health #dementia #dementiaawareness #parkinsons #wellbeing #nutrition #eggs #cognitivehealth #longtermhealth #wholefoods #wellnesscenter #wellnesscommunity #wellnesslife #wellnesshotel #wellbeingjourney #wellbeingwarrior #diet https://mastodon.social/@biohackingpathway/116975334453905726

Follow @biohackingpathway for more ⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#CognitiveHealth #DementiaPrevention #HealthyHabits #BrainHealth #MediterraneanDiet #StressManagement #Biohacking #WellnessCommunity #WellnessGoals #HealthyAging #WellnessLifestyle #WellnessMatters #WellbeingJourney #WellnessWarrior https://mastodon.social/@biohackingpathway/116934346810642806

Multilingual Experience Linked to Delayed Aging in Populations and Individuals

https://fens2026.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/5474

Comments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48805652

#HackerNews #multilingualism #aging #cognitivehealth #brainresearch #populationstudies

Follow @biohackingpathway for more ⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
⁣
#BrainHealth #Walking #Wellness #Wellbeing #HealthyHabits #Fitness #CognitiveHealth #AntiAging #FitnessMotivation #HealthyLiving #Biohacking #EmotionalWellbeing #WellnessGoals #HealthyAging #WellnessCommunity https://mastodon.social/@biohackingpathway/116846566388655592

Why Creatine Is Having A Major Moment With Women

More women are embracing creatine getty A decade ago, creatine was largely associated with bodybuilders, athletes and oversized…
#NewsBeep #News #Nutrition #cognitivehealth #creatinemonohydrate #Health #UK #UnitedKingdom #Women'shealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/661759/

Why Creatine Is Having A Major Moment With Women

More women are embracing creatine getty A decade ago, creatine was largely associated with bodybuilders, athletes and oversized…
#NewsBeep #News #Nutrition #AU #Australia #cognitivehealth #creatinemonohydrate #Health #WomensHealth
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/757219/

https://www.europesays.com/ie/537539/ This 5-Second Pinky Exercise To Reduce Dementia Is Going Viral — And Neurologists Have Thoughts #BrainPlasticity #CognitiveDecline #CognitiveHealth #Éire #Exercise #FineMotorControl #FingerExercises #FingerMovement #FingerMovements #Fitness #Health #IE #Ireland #MiddleFingers #PinkyFingers #ShaheenLakhan

This 5-Second Pinky Exercise To Reduce Dementia Is Going Viral — And Neurologists Have Thoughts

Could staving off memory loss be as simple as strategically wiggling your pinky fingers around every day? That’s…
#NewsBeep #News #Fitness #AU #Australia #brainplasticity #cognitivedecline #cognitivehealth #Exercise #finemotorcontrol #fingerexercises #fingermovement #fingermovements #Health #middlefingers #pinkyfingers #ShaheenLakhan
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/738288/

#AlzheimersAwareness #BrainHealth #PodcastDiscussion #PreventativeMeasures #DiseaseManagement #CognitiveHealth #HealthyLifestyle #EarlyIntervention #MedicalPodcast #wellnessindustry #wellnessbox #wellnessweek #wellnessplanner #wellnessalthletic #HealthAndWellness https://mastodon.social/@biohackingpathway/116740377508261380

DATE: June 10, 2026 at 01:17AM
SOURCE: SCIENCE DAILY MIND-BRAIN FEED

TITLE: Popular joint supplement glucosamine linked to faster Alzheimer’s progression

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260610003044.htm

A major study suggests glucosamine, a popular supplement for joint pain, could be linked to faster progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found a 25% higher likelihood of developing dementia among glucosamine users and uncovered biological clues that may explain why.

URL: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/06/260610003044.htm

-------------------------------------------------

Private, vetted email list for mental health professionals: https://www.clinicians-exchange.org

Unofficial Psychology Today Xitter to toot feed at Psych Today Unofficial Bot @PTUnofficialBot

-------------------------------------------------

#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #Glucosamine #JointSupplement #AlzheimersDisease #DementiaRisk #CognitiveHealth #MildCognitiveImpairment #BrainHealth #Neurodegeneration #SeniorHealth #MedicalResearch

Can stimulating the sense of smell be beneficial for the brain?
#Health #BrainHealth #Neuroscience #Memory #Sleep #HealthyAging #Smell #OlfactoryTraining #CognitiveHealth #Science #Research #Wellness #Aging #UQAM #Harvard #Neurology #Odor #MemoryLoss
https://the-14.com/can-stimulating-the-sense-of-smell-be-beneficial-for-the-brain/

Son Georgia Üniversitesi araştırması ekran kullanımının hafızayı güçlendirdiğini ortaya koyuyor. 8 haftalık deneyde 200 katılımcıda %15’lik artış gözlendi. Bilinçli ekran süresi hafızanızı yükseltir!

🚩 #MemoryBoost #DigitalLearning #CognitiveHealth #ResearchInsights

If AI can translate instantly, why learn another language?
#AI #LanguageLearning #Translation #Tech #Education #Culture #Bilingual #CognitiveHealth #Neuroscience #Learning #Linguistics #DigitalCulture #Innovation #Psychology #Multilingual #Communication
https://the-14.com/if-ai-can-translate-instantly-why-learn-another-language/

BioAdaptives launches MyndRenew, a nighttime cognitive recovery supplement featuring 13 science-backed ingredients. Part of the 24-hour MyndSystem platform addressing sleep quality and brain health. #CognitiveHealth #Wellness

Movement: A Rudimentary Yet Pervasive Brain Enhancer

New reports show daily movement can lower dementia risk. Experts explain how more blood flow to the brain helps memory and stress.

#BrainHealth, #DementiaRisk, #DailyMovement, #AlzheimersAssociation, #CognitiveHealth

https://newsletter.tf/daily-movement-lowers-dementia-risk-brain-health/

New studies show that simple daily movement, like walking, can significantly lower the risk of dementia. This is a key finding from the Alzheimer's Association.

#BrainHealth, #DementiaRisk, #DailyMovement, #AlzheimersAssociation, #CognitiveHealth
https://newsletter.tf/daily-movement-lowers-dementia-risk-brain-health/

Is Dehydration Causing Alzheimer's?

Discover how dehydration contributes to Alzheimer's and dementia, impacting people in their 40s and 50s. Learn about crucial brain health factors and preventative measures in this insightful discussion. Protect your brain health today!

Follow @biohackingpathway for more

#AlzheimersDisease #BrainHealth #Dehydration #Dementia #CognitiveHealth #HealthyAging #NeurologicalHealth #Alzheimers #PreventativeHealth #Wellness #Science #Cognition

Really enjoying the National Geographic series Limitless with Chris Hemsworth, looking into physical and mental human abilities. In this episode they’re looking at how learning an instrument can help boost your brain’s coordination and cognitive reserve, something important in the fight against dementia.
#health #CognitiveHealth #dementia #DisneyPlus #music

Inquiry Into Trump's Cognitive State Intensifies

A Democrat wants a cognitive test for Donald Trump due to his recent public statements. Find out why and what happens next.

#TrumpCognitiveTest, #PoliticalNews, #HouseJudiciary, #CognitiveHealth, #USPolitics

https://newsletter.tf/democrat-asks-trump-cognitive-test-public-remarks/

Dirt Therapy: Unearthing Cognitive Benefits in the Garden

Gardening in London can improve brain sharpness and reduce stress. Find out how simple garden tasks help mental well-being and physical health.

#GardeningBenefits, #MentalHealth, #StressRelief, #LondonLife, #CognitiveHealth

https://newsletter.tf/gardening-boosts-brain-health-and-reduces-stress/

Gardening is more than a hobby; it's a brain workout! Studies show it helps mental sharpness and lowers stress, like a gentle exercise for your mind.

#GardeningBenefits, #MentalHealth, #StressRelief, #LondonLife, #CognitiveHealth
https://newsletter.tf/gardening-boosts-brain-health-and-reduces-stress/

Duh.

https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-impact-on-thinking-cognitive-skills-researcher-2026-3

#ai #cognitivehealth

When everyday tasks become harder: Early clues to Alzheimer’s disease
#Health #CognitiveHealth #Alzheimers #BrainHealth #Aging #DementiaAwareness #MemoryLoss #MentalHealth #Canada #EarlyDetection #Healthcare #MedicalResearch #Wellness #SeniorCare
https://the-14.com/when-everyday-tasks-become-harder-early-clues-to-alzheimers-disease/

Hearing loss is often called a dementia risk factor – here’s what the research really shows
#HearingLoss #Dementia #BrainHealth #Health #Science #MedicalResearch #Aging #CognitiveHealth #Wellness #PublicHealth #Neuroscience #Awareness #Research
https://the-14.com/hearing-loss-is-often-called-a-dementia-risk-factor-heres-what-the-research-really-shows/

Reversing memory loss via gut-brain communication

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/03/gut-brain-cognitive-decline.html

#HackerNews #Reversing #memory #loss #via #gut-brain #communication #gutbrainhealth #memoryloss #neuroscience #cognitivehealth #healthinnovation

Neurologists Advise Lifestyle Changes to Safeguard Brain Health and Lower Dementia Risk

Neurologists share 5 lifestyle changes like diet and exercise that can lower your dementia risk, potentially by half. Learn what you can do.

#BrainHealth, #DementiaPrevention, #HealthyLifestyle, #NeurologyTips, #CognitiveHealth

https://newsletter.tf/lifestyle-changes-cut-dementia-risk/

Doctors say nearly half of dementia cases could be prevented by changing how we live. This is a big chance to protect your brain health.

#BrainHealth, #DementiaPrevention, #HealthyLifestyle, #NeurologyTips, #CognitiveHealth

https://newsletter.tf/lifestyle-changes-cut-dementia-risk/