Is Your Whole Brain the Same Age?

Good Morning.

We know how old we are.

Count the years since we were born and the answer seems straightforward. But the organs inside us don't necessarily follow the calendar in quite the same way.

The brain is one place where researchers are beginning to measure that difference.

Using MRI scans and computational models, scientists can now estimate a person's "brain age." The models look for structural patterns associated with aging and compare them with a person's chronological age.

If you're 60 but your brain has characteristics more commonly seen in older people, researchers can detect that difference.

But a large new study suggests that the age of the brain may be only part of the story.

Different parts of the brain may also age differently.

Researchers analyzed brain scans from more than 48,000 people, including people with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorders, addiction, ADHD and autism. They compared patterns of estimated aging across different regions of the brain.

The largest differences appeared in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Addiction and several psychiatric conditions were also associated with older estimated brain ages overall. ADHD and autism, however, showed no significant overall difference from the comparison group.

But the patterns weren't the same.

Psychiatric disorders showed greater estimated aging particularly in frontal and temporal areas, while dementia and addiction produced different regional patterns. One area appeared repeatedly across several groups: the prefrontal cortex, which supports complex functions including planning and decision-making.

The findings point toward an intriguing possibility.

We often talk about brain aging as though the entire organ moves along a single clock. But aging may have a geography. Different biological processes may leave different patterns across the brain.

There are important limits to what the research can tell us.

An older estimated brain age isn't a diagnosis, and the study doesn't show that any of these conditions caused the brain to age faster. The researchers also couldn't fully account for overlapping psychiatric and addiction conditions, which may have influenced some of the results.

Brain age remains primarily a research tool. Scientists are investigating whether regional patterns could eventually become useful biomarkers, revealing not only whether a brain differs from what's typical for its age, but where those differences appear.

A birth certificate can tell us how many years a brain has been here.

The brain itself may eventually tell us much more about how those years have been experienced.

Source: PLOS Medicine; PLOS/ScienceDaily

Longevity

The Long Game
One small thing for a longer life

Did You Know

An extra hour of screen time in bed was linked to 24 minutes less sleep.

In a 2025 study of more than 45,000 young adults, each additional hour spent using screens after going to bed was associated with shorter sleep and higher odds of insomnia symptoms. The study couldn’t establish cause and effect, but it gives us a useful reason to notice how much of our bedtime goes to a screen.

Tonight, try putting your phone out of reach before you get into bed.

Sleep is one of the six factors that shape how well we age. The Worthyest Longevity Index measures all six in 4 minutes. Yours, personalized. Get my score →

Source: Hjetland et al., Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2025.

The Curiosity Edit

Today’s Insight: Future Computing

A New Kind of Magnetism Could Unlock Faster, More Efficient Computers

Researchers have uncovered an unusual form of magnetism that could open a new path toward faster, more energy-efficient computers. Read the full story here.

Modern Living:

Habits & Behavior

Worried You Might be Watching Too Much TV? 5 Things to Know

How much TV is too much may not be as simple as counting the hours. What happens after you turn it off could tell you more. Read the full story here.

Health & Wellness

Health at Different Stages

Some health questions are about what may be coming next, while others depend on recognizing what’s happening now. This collection looks at the next generation of weight-loss drugs, warning signs of early-onset breast cancer, and why the boundaries of middle age may be less obvious than we assume.

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We’ve Been Thinking About 'Middle Age' All Wrong. Here’s What It Actually Means.
Ask people when middle age begins and you’re unlikely to get a single answer. Experts explain why the definition is more complicated than a number on a birthday cake and what this stage of life actually represents.

The Conscious Plate:

Food, Nutrition & Elevated Living

What Food Can Do and When It Can Go Wrong

What we eat matters, but so can how we store it and the nutrients we get along the way. This collection looks at foods that become risky when left out too long, one practical way to get more fiber, and intriguing research involving vitamin D and pancreatic cancer.

5 Unexpected Foods That Are Especially Dangerous When Left Out Too Long
Some foods become obvious candidates for the refrigerator once a meal is over. Others can seem harmless sitting on the counter, even though food-safety experts say they can become risky faster than you might expect.

Vitamin D Drug May Help Crack Pancreatic Cancer's Protective Shield
Pancreatic tumors can be particularly difficult to treat partly because of defenses surrounding them. Early research suggests a drug related to vitamin D could help weaken those defenses, potentially giving existing treatments a better opportunity to work.

How I Get 25 Grams of Fiber a Day Without a Supplement
Getting enough fiber every day can sound like another nutritional target to keep track of. One dietitian shows how ordinary foods throughout the day can add up to the recommended amount without relying on a supplement.

Final Note

This is what we leave you with. A thought to end the day, carry in your pocket, or come back to later. Nothing big. Just something to reflect on.

The Answers Get Shorter

Experience often sounds like shorter sentences.

The more familiar we become with something, the less we tend to explain every part of it.

We know which details matter, which complications are unlikely to matter this time, and which questions don't need another hour of discussion.

Expertise can add knowledge.

Experience often teaches us what we can leave out.

Pass It On

Sometimes a thought, an idea, or a perspective connects at just the right time. If something here feels like it might resonate with someone you know, share it with them.

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