Chronic financial hardship may accelerate cognitive decline and brain aging, particularly among men and those with genetic predispositions, according to a new study from University College London.
Adults who have experienced persistent financial hardship demonstrate poorer cognitive performance and signs of accelerated brain aging later in life, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at University College London.
The study analyzed data from 2,759 participants in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, all of whom were born in 1946. Participants who reported enduring financial difficulties or low income performed worse on cognitive tests that evaluated verbal memory and processing speed.
Moreover, individuals with a history of persistent low income exhibited poorer brain health as indicated by MRI scans, which measured aging markers such as brain shrinkage and enlarged ventricles.
“While we know well that cognitive decline is associated with both genetic risks and adverse childhood experiences, we knew very little about what happens during the life course—particularly, the experience of persistent financial stress over a lifetime,” said Dr. Jacques Wels, a study author from the Unit for Lifelong Health & Ageing at UCL.
Dr. Wels emphasized that the study clearly demonstrates a link between the accumulation of poverty and cognitive decline. “We used different measures of life course financial adversity and different measures of cognitive decline, and they all show the same results, which makes the findings robust,” he added.
The associations observed in the study were particularly pronounced among men, individuals who had disadvantaged childhoods, and carriers of the APOE-ε4 genetic variant, which is associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
“The study shows that while cognitive decline is influenced by genetic risks and individual behaviors, it is also affected by life experiences that we do not always control,” Dr. Wels noted.
Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that chronic financial adversity over decades, rather than short-term financial struggles, is linked to accelerated cognitive aging. This could be attributed to chronic stress leading to inflammation or the increased cognitive load resulting from ongoing financial worries.
However, the study does have limitations. Its observational design does not establish a causal relationship between financial stress and cognitive effects. “We are looking at a cohort of people born in 1946—so their life course experience is really dependent on the context they lived in,” Dr. Wels explained. “For instance, we found stronger effects among males, which reflects the ‘breadwinner’ role of men in older cohorts, something we might not observe in more recent generations.”
Even after accounting for various factors that could influence brain health, the study authors acknowledged that unmeasured variables may still have impacted the results.
While the researchers suggest that reducing long-term poverty could help protect brain health, they also stress the need for further studies to determine whether improving financial circumstances directly reduces the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
These findings underscore the complex interplay between socioeconomic factors and cognitive health, highlighting the importance of addressing financial stability as part of broader public health strategies.
According to Fox News Digital, the implications of this research could inform future interventions aimed at mitigating cognitive decline among vulnerable populations.