Understanding Brain Aging: How to Take Control and Monitor Your Cognitive Health
Our recent study published in Imaging Neuroscience explores how the brain changes throughout the lifespan, providing insights into what healthy brain aging looks like and recognizing when it may not follow the expected path. Using advanced magnetoencephalography (MEG) technology, we can accurately track these changes over time. Even better, with regular brain health monitoring and simple lifestyle adjustments, you can take steps to slow down—or even reverse—some of these age-related changes.
What Happens to Your Brain as You Age?
Our study looked at brain scans from 367 people, aged 18 to 83, and found several interesting patterns:
Slower Brain Waves Decline, Faster Waves Increase:
As you age, slower brain waves (like delta and theta) decrease, especially in the frontal and temporal regions of the brain. Meanwhile, faster brain waves (beta waves) actually increase.
Changes in Brain Networks:
Aging affects how different brain regions communicate. Specifically, connectivity within and between certain networks decreases in some areas but increases in others. For instance, connections within the default mode network (DMN), which is involved in self-referential thinking and memory, decreased in lower frequencies like delta. This weakening of connections in the DMN is linked to declines in memory and other cognitive functions that occur with aging.
Meanwhile, we observed increases in connectivity at higher frequencies, particularly in the beta and gamma bands. These increases were most prominent in the visual network and other high-level cognitive networks. For example, the visual network's connectivity decreased in alpha but increased in beta and gamma, suggesting that as we age, the brain may rely more on higher-frequency activity to maintain cognitive function.
Brain Age Predictions:
One of the most fascinating parts of the study was the ability to predict a person’s "brain age" based on their neural oscillations. How "old" your brain feels doesn’t always match up with your chronological age. These predictions can be used to model arcs of ageing throughout the adult lifespan and predict accelerated ageing in pathological brain states, especially in conditions where there are no structural abnormalities.
Case Study: Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Brain Age
Here’s a real-life example that shows how lifestyle changes can impact brain health. One client had maintained a healthy routine, with regular scans showing her brain age matched her chronological age. However, after an extended period of jetlag, three weeks of travel, poor sleep, and increased alcohol consumption, her brain activity reflected noticeable decline.
Determined to improve, she focused on better sleep habits and reducing alcohol intake.
Seven months later, a follow-up scan revealed her brain age had dropped by 8.5 years, making her brain function like someone 4.5 years younger than her actual age. Her attention score also improved significantly, reaching the 87th percentile for her age group, alongside a measurable boost in overall cognitive performance.
This example highlights how specific lifestyle changes can directly influence brain health, with regular scans providing clear evidence of progress.
Read more on this case study here:
Why Tracking Your Functional Brain Age Is Important
See the Impact of Lifestyle Choices on Your Brain: Sleep, diet, stress, and alcohol consumption all play a major role in brain health. Tracking your functional brain age over time allows you to see how your habits affect your brain. For example, increasing exercise or reducing alcohol intake could lead to a "younger" brain function—and you’ll have concrete data to back it up.
Identify Signs of Accelerated Aging: If your brain is aging faster or slower than expected, it could indicate an issue even if you feel fine. Accelerated brain aging can signal chronic stress, hidden health conditions, or broader neural abnormalities linked to potential cognitive decline. Catching these patterns early gives you the opportunity to take preventative action.
Monitor Recovery and Progress: Whether you’re recovering from an illness or testing a new treatment, tracking your brain age provides measurable insights into your progress. It’s not just about how you feel—it’s about seeing tangible improvements in your brain’s performance.
Why Long-Term Brain Monitoring Is Essential
Monitoring your functional brain age provides valuable insights into your cognitive health, helping you detect potential issues early. Whether it’s identifying signs of accelerated aging or measuring the positive effects of lifestyle changes, understanding your brain’s functional age empowers you to take charge of your mental well-being. With consistent monitoring, you can take proactive steps to maintain optimal brain function for years to come.
Your brain is one of your most important assets—protect it by staying informed and making conscious choices. Curious about your brain’s functional age? Regular MEG scans combined with targeted lifestyle changes could help you keep your mind sharp and resilient.
Reference: Hardy, S., Roberts, G., Ventresca, M., & Dunkley, B. T. (2024). Predicting brain age across the adult lifespan with spontaneous oscillations and functional coupling in resting brain networks captured with magnetoencephalography. Imaging Neuroscience, 2. https://doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00195