WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study published in JAMA Neurology has found that individuals born in the 1970s possess approximately 15 percent more brain surface area and 6.6 percent more brain volume compared to their counterparts born in the 1930s.
The research, led by an international team of experts from the University of California Davis Health, utilized MRI data from the Framingham Heart Study, a health survey initiated in 1948, focusing on brain scans of 3,226 subjects.
During the study, neurologist Charles DeCarli's team examined brain MRI data from the Framingham Heart Study, a community-based research project ongoing since 1948. The team observed growth in brain regions linked to memory and learning, as well as increases in brain volume and surface area. The researchers suggested that a larger brain size could be beneficial for brain health, potentially contributing to a lower risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
Interestingly, while cases of Alzheimer's disease are on the rise with the aging population, the rate of new diagnoses appears to be decreasing each decade. Over the past thirty years, dementia incidence in the US and Europe has declined by approximately 13 percent per decade. This study's findings may potentially explain this trend.
The reason for the observed growth in brain size remains unclear, with DeCarli proposing a mix of internal and external factors influencing this phenomenon. While genetics significantly influence brain size, external factors such as health, social, cultural, and educational elements may also play a role. By unraveling the drivers behind the increase in brain size, researchers aim to gain insights into how environmental and lifestyle factors impact brain health and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
The study's findings suggest that larger brain structures, as seen in the study, may indicate enhanced brain development and health. This larger brain reserve could potentially mitigate the effects of age-related brain diseases like Alzheimer's and related dementias in later life. However, it's worth noting that the study has limitations, as the participants were predominantly non-Hispanic white and may not represent the broader U.S. population.
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