A team of scientists led by the University of California Davis Health has discovered that human brains are getting bigger, potentially providing benefits for brain health as people age. The researchers analyzed MRI data of individuals born between the 1930s and 1970s and found that babies born in the 1970s had larger brain surface area and volume compared to those born in the 1930s.
The study, published in JAMA Neurology, also revealed that areas of the brain related to memory and learning had grown in size. While larger brains may not necessarily equate to increased intelligence, having a bigger brain could be beneficial for brain health.
Further research suggests that having a larger brain may offer protection against age-related brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. A study published in 2016 in The New England Journal of Medicine found that despite an overall increase in the number of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, the percentage of people newly diagnosed per decade has decreased. This suggests that larger brain structures observed in recent studies could indicate improved brain development and health, potentially providing a buffer against age-related brain diseases.
The implications of these findings on cognitive function and overall health are still being studied, but they suggest that having a bigger brain may offer some level of protection against age-related cognitive decline. Further research is needed to fully understand the implications of these findings on human health and aging.
