A physically and mentally active lifestyle relates to younger brain and cognitive age.

Niklas Behrenbruch, Svenja Schwarck, Beate Schumann-Werner, Eóin N Molloy, Berta Garcia-Garcia, Anne Hochkeppler, Larissa Fischer, Anna-Therese Büchel, Enise I Incesoy, Jose Bernal, Niklas Vockert, Patrick Müller, Gusalija Behnisch, Bárbara Morgado, Hermann Esselmann, Constanze I Seidenbecher, Björn H Schott, Henryk Barthel, Osama Sabri, Jens Wiltfang, Michael C Kreissl, Emrah Düzel, Anne Maass

German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Leipziger Str. 44, Haus 64, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Leipziger Str. 44, Haus 64, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Resistance to age-related pathological changes (brain maintenance), including Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular disease, and neurodegeneration may promote cognitive resilience in aging. However, how lifestyle and health profiles relate to successful cognitive and brain aging remains poorly understood. In a novel, deeply phenotyped cohort of 211 cognitively unimpaired older adults (age = 71.0 ± 7.4 years, 46% female), we characterized principal components of lifestyle and health using questionnaire, fitness, and blood data. We estimated cognitive age gap (CAG) based on comprehensive neuropsychological data and brain age gap (BAG) based on brain-pathology markers, including plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer's pathology (pTau

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Research summary

A physically and mentally active lifestyle is associated with a younger brain and cognitive age in older adults. The study explores the relationship between lifestyle factors and cognitive resilience, addressing the root causes of cognitive decline and aging.

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