Chronic financial difficulties accelerate brain aging

Researchers assessed the financial situation of participants at several time points: income level was recorded in 26, 43 and 53 years, and financial tension — by answers to questions about how difficult it is to cope with the budget and whether it is possible to pay bills. To the category “persistently low income” referred to those who fell into the lower 20% of income level at least twice during this period, to the category “persistent financial difficulties” — those who at least twice between 36 and 53 years noted serious problems with budget management. As a result, approximately one in six participants (16%) had a persistently low income, and approximately one in eight participants (12%) had persistent financial difficulties.

The participants’ cognitive abilities were assessed using tests of verbal memory and information processing speed. In addition, a subset of participants aged 69–71 underwent MRI scans to assess objective measures of brain health, including the degree of atrophy (shrinkage of brain tissue) and the widening of the brain’s ventricles (cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid), which serve as markers of brain decline.

The results showed that individuals who faced persistent financial difficulties or consistently low income during their youth and middle age performed worse on cognitive tests by the age of 53. Those who underwent MRI scans showed more pronounced signs of brain health deterioration, including a greater degree of atrophy. These associations persisted even after controlling for a range of potentially confounding factors, including baseline cognitive abilities in childhood, educational attainment, and adverse early-life experiences.

The association between financial hardship and cognitive health deterioration was particularly strong among men, individuals who experienced adversity in childhood, and those carrying the APOE‑ε4 genetic variant, which increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. At the same time, men with persistent financial problems performed worse on cognitive tests at the age of 53 compared to women in a similar situation. The researchers suggest that this may be due to differences in health-related behaviors (such as higher rates of smoking and alcohol abuse among men under stress), as well as the fact that men in this cohort (born in 1946) may have experienced financial instability more acutely due to their traditional role as the primary breadwinners in their families.

Although participants who experienced financial difficulties performed worse on memory tests at the age of 53, their decline was slower between the ages of 53 and 69. The researchers believe that this is likely due to the fact that a significant portion of their cognitive decline had already occurred by the age of 53, resulting in a “lower starting point.”

The study suggests several possible mechanisms linking financial difficulties to accelerated brain aging. One of them is chronic stress, which can lead to systemic inflammation, which is known to accelerate brain aging. Another mechanism is increased cognitive load: constant worry about money takes away resources from the brain, reducing its ability to effectively handle other cognitive tasks.

According to Dr. Jacques Wells, the lead author of the study, the value of the research lies in the fact that it draws on data collected over several decades: This allows us to see that it is the accumulation of difficulties over many years, rather than isolated episodes of adversity, that is associated with the worst cognitive outcomes. The senior author of the study, Professor Pravita Patalay, emphasizes that supporting individuals facing financial difficulties and addressing chronic poverty can be an important measure in preventing cognitive decline and dementia in the future.