Summary: Researchers urge more study of young adult brain health to better understand brain development and identify risk factors for neurological disorders later in life.
Source: TCD
Researchers at the Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at Trinity College Dublin have identified a substantial gap in our understanding of brain health during young adulthood in an editorial published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
The editorial issues a clear call to action: increase research focused specifically on brain health in young adults. Current research overwhelmingly concentrates on childhood or on middle-aged and older populations, leaving a 20-year gap in our knowledge about people born roughly between 1981 and 2004.
Understanding brain health during young adulthood is essential because this life stage is when many risk factors begin to accumulate. Early detection and management of these risks is the most effective strategy to prevent the neurodegenerative changes that lead to clinical dementia later in life. Promoting brain health should be framed as an aspirational, lifelong goal—akin to physical fitness.
Young adults represent more than 30% of the global population and have unique exposures and stressors that influence brain development and resilience. The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, has had widespread effects on mental health, education, and employment—factors that can negatively affect brain health. Other accumulating risks during this period include obesity, smoking, and head injury. Reproductive factors such as age at childbirth, the increasing use of assisted reproductive technologies, and timing of menopause may also intersect with hormonal influences on dementia risk and warrant focused study.
Professor Brian Lawlor, Conolly Norman Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at Trinity College and Deputy Executive Director of GBHI, commented: “If we are to truly change the narrative around brain health and dementia prevention, the story must resonate with the next generation. We need to reframe, co-produce and amplify life-course brain health messages with young adults.”
Key highlights
- There is a 20-year knowledge gap in brain health research for young adults; most studies target childhood or mid- to late-life stages.
- To close this gap, researchers across disciplines should incorporate brain health measures—cognitive testing, mental health assessments, lifestyle and environmental exposure data—into existing cohort studies. Long-term investment in large interventional trials is also necessary.
- Characterizing cumulative risks from an early age will improve both primary and secondary prevention strategies for dementia, because many harmful exposures begin during young adulthood (e.g., obesity, smoking, head injuries).
- Young adults are digitally literate and generally health conscious, making them well-suited to participate actively in monitoring and managing their brain health. This supports a precision public health approach that tailors interventions to individual genetic, environmental, and lifestyle contexts.
- Community-based services for brain health screening and risk communication create opportunities for early profiling and intervention. These programs can generate rich data to advance our understanding of dementia epidemiology and intervention effectiveness.
Dr. Francesca Farina, Global Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health at GBHI and Assistant Professor at Northwestern University, said: “Young adults are ideally placed to lead a positive brain health movement, but we currently know very little about the specific factors that affect brain health in this group. Expanding research focus to young adulthood will not only aid dementia prevention later in life but also improve mental health and well-being across the lifespan.”
Dr. Laura Booi, Global Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, GBHI, and Senior Research Associate at Leeds Beckett University, added: “Millennials and Generation Z are already facing the climate crisis and economic uncertainty. Building brain health awareness, backed by solid evidence, is essential to support their current and future cognitive and mental well-being.”
About this neurodevelopment research news
Author: Press Office
Source: TCD
Contact: Press Office – TCD
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Closed access.
“Brain health in young adults” by Francesca R Farina et al., BMJ.
Abstract
Brain health in young adults
Promoting brain health as an aspirational, lifelong goal—similar to physical fitness—can guide prevention efforts. Early detection and management of risk factors remain the most effective means to avert the neurodegenerative changes that lead to dementia. Yet, most research on brain health risk centers on mid-life and later years, leaving young adulthood comparatively understudied.
Existing life-course models of dementia emphasize education as an early protective factor but place the majority of modifiable risks in mid-life or later. This leaves a knowledge gap of roughly two decades where risk factors begin to accumulate. Defining good brain health as optimal cognitive, sensory, social-emotional, and behavioral functioning underlines the importance of studying young adults—who have the opportunity to adopt long-term protective behaviors and benefit from early intervention.
Given the mental health impacts and social disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, together with rising prevalences of obesity, substance use, and injury, there is an urgent need to expand research efforts focused on this large and influential segment of the population. A more complete evidence base will inform targeted prevention strategies and public health messages that resonate with young adults, supporting brain health across the lifespan.