Your Address Could Be Telling A Story About Your Brain
Think about everything that comes with an address: how much noise you hear, whether you can easily get outside for a walk, how close fresh food is, and even how much day-to-day stress you experience.
Those details can shape your health, and researchers are now looking more closely at whether they may affect the brain, too.
In a recent study on neighborhood disadvantage and brain aging, researchers analyzed brain scans to see whether the conditions of the neighborhoods people live in were linked to signs of brain aging.
The results point to a connection, but they don't mean your address determines your brain health.
About the study
Researchers analyzed MRI scans from 2,826 adults with an average age of 53. The scans had been taken for reasons unrelated to brain disease.
To measure neighborhood disadvantage, they used the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). The score is calculated from existing data about a neighborhood, including factors such as income, education, employment, and housing conditions.
Researchers matched each person's address with their neighborhood's ADI score, then compared it with measures of brain structure and estimated brain age.
People in more disadvantaged neighborhoods had older-looking brains
The biggest difference showed up in the brain-age gap, which compares how old a brain looks on a scan with a person's actual age. People living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods had brains that appeared about three years older than expected, on average.
Their scans also showed lower overall brain volume and more white matter hyperintensities, small bright areas associated with changes in the brain's small blood vessels.
The researchers also found that neighborhood disadvantage strengthened the relationship between these white matter changes and lower volume in areas including the caudate and prefrontal cortex, which are involved in functions such as decision-making and reward.
Your address isn't the whole story
The findings don't prove that living in a disadvantaged neighborhood causes faster brain aging.
The study was cross-sectional, meaning researchers looked at brain scans at one point in time rather than following people over years. They also lacked detailed information about individual factors such as exercise, diet, smoking, and existing health conditions.
These could affect brain health and may also be related to where someone lives.
Still, the findings highlight how brain health can be shaped by more than individual habits. Chronic stress, environmental exposures, access to health care and nutritious food, and opportunities for physical activity may all play a role.
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What you can do for your brain
You can't always control your surroundings, but several brain-health habits are within reach:
- Keep moving: Regular cardiovascular exercise supports blood flow and heart health, including the small blood vessels that supply the brain.
- Protect your sleep: Consistent, quality sleep supports memory and cognitive health.
- Watch your cardiovascular health: Blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol all affect blood vessel health. Regular checkups and a balanced diet rich in vegetables, fiber, and healthy fats can help manage these risk factors.
- Think beyond one habit: Brain health is influenced by multiple factors, so focus on consistent movement, sleep, nutrition, and cardiovascular care rather than looking for one magic fix.
The takeaway
A nearly three-year brain-age gap showed up among people living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods. We certainly can't control every input affecting our health, and income disparities are unfortunately a factor in this scenario, but it's a good reminder to double down on what we can control for better brain health: movement, sleep, whole foods, and social connection can go a long way no matter where you live.