Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

AGING

How old is your brain?

Nature Neuroscience volume 22, pages 1611–1612 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

Using data from 45,615 people, Kaufmann et al. compare the gaps between brain age and chronological age in a number of brain disorders and study the relationship of these gaps with genetics. Their research shows that the brains of individuals with a range of different brain disorders, such as dementia and schizophrenia, are aging faster than normal.

Is your brain aging faster than the rest of you? What does that mean for your mental wellbeing? ‘Brain age’ might sound like a gimmick or a score that you get from a ‘brain training’ computer game. However, machine-learning tools can be used in combination with MRI data to predict how well someone’s brain is aging1. Using this approach, a study by Kaufmann et al. in this issue of Nature Neuroscience has shown an interesting relationship between brain age and several brain disorders such as dementia and schizophrenia2.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Calculating the brain age gap.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cole, J. H. & Franke, K. Trends Neurosci. 40, 681–690 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Kaufmann, T., van der Meer, D., Doan, N.T., Schwarz, E. & Lund, M.J. Nat. Neurosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-019-0471-7 (2019).

  3. Gratten, J. & Visscher, P. M. Genome Med. 8, 78 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Insel, T. R. Am. J. Psychiatry 171, 395–397 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Miller, K. L. et al. Nat. Neurosci. 19, 1523–1536 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Thompson, P. M. et al. Neuroimage 145 Pt B, 389–408 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Weiner, M. W. et al. Alzheimers Dement. 13, e1–e85 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Smith, S. M. & Nichols, T. E. Neuron 97, 263–268 (2018).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Fortin, J.-P. et al. Neuroimage 167, 104–120 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Washington University Medical School, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

    Janine Bijsterbosch

Authors
  1. Janine Bijsterbosch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Janine Bijsterbosch.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bijsterbosch, J. How old is your brain?. Nat Neurosci 22, 1611–1612 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-019-0478-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-019-0478-0

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Translational Research

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.

Get what matters in translational research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Translational Research