Money problems today could affect your brain in later life
People who face financial hardship over many years may be more likely to experience poorer memory, slower thinking, and signs of faster brain aging later in life, according to a new British study, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Researchers from University College London and partner institutions analyzed data from 2,759 participants in the UK's 1946 National Survey of Health and Development, tracking financial circumstances from ages 26 to 53 and comparing them with cognitive performance through age 69. A subgroup of up to 468 participants also underwent brain scans between ages 69 and 74.
The study found that people who repeatedly experienced low household income or financial difficulties performed worse on tests of processing speed and verbal memory by age 53. Those with persistent financial hardship also showed signs of poorer brain health decades later, including larger fluid-filled spaces in the brain, a marker associated with brain shrinkage.
Researchers observed that participants with lower cognitive scores in midlife appeared to decline more slowly afterward. They said this likely reflects the fact that much of the cognitive loss had already occurred by middle age rather than indicating any protective effect.
The impact was not the same for everyone. Men appeared more vulnerable than women to the effects of long-term financial hardship on both thinking skills and brain structure. People who grew up in disadvantaged households and those carrying the APOE-ε4 gene variant, which is linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease, also experienced greater brain atrophy when they had persistent financial difficulties during adulthood.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that your brain is constantly predicting the future.
