Brains on the Upgrade: Study Reveals Encouraging Findings on Brain Size and Alzheimer’s Improvement

A recent study published in the journal JAMA Neurology and conducted by UC Davis Health Medical Center found that people’s brains are growing larger over time, which could be a positive sign that conditions like Alzheimer’s are improving. The study revealed that individuals born in the 1970s and later have 6.6% more mass and 15% more surface area compared to those born in the 1930s.

Charles DeCarli, a professor of neurology at UC Davis Health and the study’s author, noted that genetics play a significant role in determining brain size, but external factors such as health, society, culture, and education also have some influence. The researchers examined data from the Framingham Heart Study, which spanned 75 years, analyzing MRI images of over 3,200 individuals born between 1925 and 1968. The findings showed a gradual and steady increase in brain size over time.

The study discovered that both brain size and surface area have increased over the years with additional mass found in the gray matter, white matter, and hippocampus. These regions are crucial for memory, learning, and communication between different brain areas. The researchers view these results as promisingly suggesting that age-related memory decline may be improving in the general population.

Overall, this research indicates that larger brain structures could lead to better information storage and potentially lessen the impacts of aging over time. It highlights the importance of factors like genetics, health, and education in brain development and cognitive function.