TL;DR
Get workout gear delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
A UCLA study of nearly 1,500 adults found that brain scans estimated to look older than a person’s actual age were associated with weaker performance on some thinking tests and more depression symptoms. In one group, the brain-aging measure was also associated with particular gut bacteria and metabolic compounds; the study does not establish cause and effect.
A UCLA study of nearly 1,500 adults found that people whose brain scans appeared older than their chronological age tended to score worse on working memory and executive-function tests and report more depression symptoms. In one of the three study groups, the researchers also linked the brain-age measure to specific gut bacteria and metabolic compounds; the findings show associations, not that gut microbes cause brain aging.
The researchers used resting-state brain scans to measure how regions of the brain communicate with one another. A computer model estimated each participant’s age from these patterns, and the team compared that estimate with the person’s actual age. The difference was called the Brain Aging Index. The participants were split across three groups, and the cognitive and mood patterns were observed across all three.
People with a higher index generally performed worse on tests of working memory and executive function, skills used to hold information in mind, focus, plan and organize. They also reported more symptoms of depression. The recurring brain regions were associated with memory and self-referential thought, which involves reflecting on oneself and one’s experiences.
For one group, the team analyzed stool samples. A higher Brain Aging Index was associated with certain gut bacteria and several metabolic byproducts, including fat molecules, a cholesterol-related compound and lower levels of the hormone estetrol. The related biological pathways included immune activity, blood-vessel function, communication between brain cells and cellular energy production. The report does not identify these observations as proof of a biological chain linking gut changes to brain decline.
Early Signals, Not a Screening Test
The findings add to research exploring whether brain-aging patterns can be detected before obvious memory or thinking problems. If future studies confirm the associations, brain scans and microbiome measures could help researchers investigate which biological processes are connected to later cognitive or mood changes. The researchers noted that much prior work has focused on older adults or people with neurological conditions, leaving less information about whether such patterns also appear in other adults.
For now, the work does not provide a clinical test, a prediction of an individual’s future, or evidence that changing gut bacteria will slow brain aging. The gut findings came from one of the three groups, and the study identifies correlations rather than cause. No dietary, supplement or other intervention was tested. The immediate value is in pointing researchers toward pathways to examine, not offering people a proven way to change their brain-age score.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How Researchers Estimated Brain Age
Scientists use the term brain age for an estimate based on features of brain scans; it is distinct from a person’s chronological age. A brain estimated to be older than expected has been associated in earlier research with poorer memory, weaker thinking skills and mood changes. The UCLA team said much of that prior work focused on older adults or people with neurological conditions, leaving less information about whether such patterns also appear in younger, generally healthy adults.
This study used patterns of communication between brain regions while participants rested, rather than treating a scan as a direct measure of how well someone thinks. Researchers compared the model’s age estimate with actual age, then examined how the resulting Brain Aging Index related to test performance, reported symptoms and, in one group, stool-sample findings. The report describes associations between these measures but does not establish whether gut changes came before the brain patterns or predict what happened to participants over time.
brain health supplement for memory
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Cause, Timing and Clinical Use
The study does not show whether gut bacteria or their metabolic products influence brain aging, whether brain-related changes affect the gut, or whether other factors contribute to both. The report also does not establish that the observed associations apply equally to all three groups: stool samples were examined in one group. It is not yet clear which, if any, of the measured bacteria or compounds could reliably identify people at greater risk, or how well the brain-age estimate predicts later changes in memory, thinking or mood. The source does not provide evidence that testing or altering the microbiome would improve those outcomes.
probiotic supplements for brain health
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Further Research
The findings point to questions for future research, including whether the reported associations can be confirmed and whether changing the microbiome might support brain health. The study does not establish that gut measures precede changes in brain-age estimates or cognitive and mood outcomes, or that an intervention would affect these measures. No treatment or clinical application was established by this report.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What did the UCLA study find?
Across three groups, a higher Brain Aging Index was generally associated with lower working-memory and executive-function test performance and more reported depression symptoms. In one group, the index was also associated with specific gut bacteria and metabolic compounds.
Does the study show that gut bacteria cause the brain to age?
No. The researchers reported associations, which cannot establish whether gut changes cause brain changes, result from them, or share other causes.
Can a stool test reveal how fast my brain is aging?
The report does not establish a stool test for measuring brain aging or predicting an individual’s cognitive future. The gut analysis was conducted in one study group, and the findings need further testing.
Did the study test a diet or supplement to improve brain aging?
No intervention was tested. The findings suggest research questions for the future; they do not show that a particular food, supplement or other change can alter the Brain Aging Index.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
