New mega-analysis reveals why memory declines with age

Genetic risk for Alzheimer’s and widespread brain shrinkage linked to greater memory loss — even in otherwise healthy adults

2026-01-13

(Press-News.org) A landmark international study that pooled brain scans and memory tests from thousands of adults has shed new light on how structural brain changes are tied to memory decline as people age.

The findings — based on more than 10,000 MRI scans and over 13,000 memory assessments from 3,700 cognitively healthy adults across 13 studies — show that the connection between shrinking brain tissue and declining memory is nonlinear, stronger in older adults, and not solely driven by known Alzheimer’s-associated genes like APOE ε4. This suggests that brain aging is more complex than previously thought, and that memory vulnerability reflects broad structural changes across multiple regions, not just isolated pathology.

Published in Nature Communications, the study, “Vulnerability to memory decline in aging revealed by a mega-analysis of structural brain change,” found that structural brain change associated with memory decline is widespread, rather than confined to a single region. While the hippocampus showed the strongest association between volume loss and declining memory performance, many other cortical and subcortical regions also demonstrated significant relationships. This suggests that cognitive decline in aging reflects a distributed macrostructural brain vulnerability, rather than deterioration in a few specific brain regions. The pattern across regions formed a gradient, with the hippocampus at the high end and progressively smaller but still meaningful effects across large portions of the brain.

Importantly, the relationship between regional brain atrophy and memory decline was not only variable across individuals but also highly nonlinear. Individuals with above-average rates of structural loss experienced disproportionately greater declines in memory, suggesting that once brain shrinkage reaches higher levels, cognitive consequences accelerate rather than progress evenly. This nonlinear pattern was consistent across multiple brain regions, reinforcing the conclusion that memory decline in cognitively healthy aging is linked to global and network-level structural changes, with the hippocampus playing a particularly sensitive role but not acting alone.

“By integrating data across dozens of research cohorts, we now have the most detailed picture yet of how structural changes in the brain unfold with age and how they relate to memory,” said Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, senior scientist at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and medical director at the Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health.

“Cognitive decline and memory loss are not simply the consequence of aging, but manifestations of individual predispositions and age-related processes enabling neurodegenerative processes and diseases. These results suggest that memory decline in aging is not just about one region or one gene — it reflects a broad biological vulnerability in brain structure that accumulates over decades. Understanding this can help researchers identify individuals at risk early, and develop more precise and personalized interventions that support cognitive health across the lifespan and prevent cognitive disability.”

In addition to Pascual-Leone, researchers were Didac Vidal-Piñeiro, PhD, professor of psychology, University of Oslo; Øystein Sørensen, PhD, research scientist, University of Oslo; Marie Strømstad, MSc, Researcher, University of Oslo; Inge K. Amlien, PhD, senior researcher, University of Oslo; William F.C. Baaré, PhD, senior researcher, Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance; David Bartrés-Faz, PhD, professor, University of Barcelona; Andreas M. Brandmaier, PhD, senior researcher, Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Gabriele Cattaneo, PhD, researcher, University of Milan; Sandra Düzel, Dr. rer. nat. (PhD), senior research scientist in the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Paolo Ghisletta, PhD, professor, University of Geneva; Richard N. Henson, PhD, professor, University of Cambridge; Simone Kühn, PhD, senior scientist, Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Ulman Lindenberger, PhD, director, Max Planck Institute for Human Development; Athanasia M. Mowinckel, PhD, researcher, University of Oslo; Lars Nyberg, PhD, professor, Umeå University; James M. Roe, PhD, research scientist, University of Oslo; Javier Solana-Sánchez, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, University of Oslo; Cristina Solé-Padullés, PhD, researcher, University of Barcelona; Leiv Otto Watne, MD, PhD, neurologist, Oslo University Hospital; Thomas Wolfers, PhD, senior researcher, University of Oslo; Kristine B. Walhovd, PhD, professor, University of Oslo; and Anders M. Fjell, PhD, professor, University of Oslo.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 4,500 seniors a day across seven campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; Jack Satter House, Revere; and Leyland Community, Dorchester. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $87 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 500 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Marcus Institute seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity, and productivity into advanced age. The Marcus Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Understanding ammonia energy’s tradeoffs around the world

2026-01-13

Many people are optimistic about ammonia’s potential as an energy source and carrier of hydrogen, and though large-scale adoption would require major changes to the way it is currently manufactured, ammonia does have a number of advantages. For one thing, ammonia is energy-dense and carbon-free. It is also already produced at scale and shipped around the world, primarily for use in fertilizer. Though current manufacturing processes give ammonia an enormous carbon footprint, cleaner ways to make ammonia do exist. A better understanding of how to guide the ammonia fuel industry’s continued development ...

UTHealth Houston researchers map gene disruptions in sporadic early onset Alzheimer’s disease across key brain regions

2026-01-13

A new study led by researchers at UTHealth Houston investigated both gene expression and regulation at single cell levels to reveal disruptions in gene function in three brain regions of patients with sporadic early onset Alzheimer’s disease. The findings were published in Science Advances. Only about 5% to 10% of patients with Alzheimer’s disease are younger than 65. Of those patients, 10% have mutations in the APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 genes, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The other 90% of these cases are classified as sporadic early onset Alzheimer’s, a rare and aggressive form of the ...

Minimum wage increases are linked to safer pregnancies

2026-01-13

Increases to the minimum wage may do more than bolster household income, reduce inequality and enhance worker well-being: They may also help make pregnancies safer, according to new research from Rutgers University. A study published online ahead of the Fe in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that state-level increases in the minimum wage are associated with lower rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, a leading cause of maternal mortality in the United States. The study, led by Slawa Rokicki, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, ...

Left in the cold: Study finds most renters shut out of energy-saving upgrades

2026-01-13

As winter heating costs rise, new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York reveals a cold truth. Renters – who make up approximately ⅓ of the U.S. population – are missing out on energy efficiency improvements that could lower their bills, make their apartments more comfortable and improve their health. This study, “Still muddling through: Local sustainability leaders and energy efficiency in rental units,” was published in Energy Research & Social Science. ...

This crystal sings back: Illinois collaboration sheds light on magnetochiral instability

2026-01-13

Researchers from The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have reported the first observation of a dynamic magnetochiral instability in a solid-state material. Their findings, published in Nature Physics, bridge ideas from nuclear and high-energy physics with materials science and condensed matter physics to explain how interplay between symmetry and magnetism can amplify electromagnetic waves. A material’s behavior is heavily influenced ...

Organisms in the Atacama Desert soil are remarkably diverse

2026-01-13

A new study shows that resilient and remarkably diverse populations of organisms can persist in the soil despite harsh and extremely dry conditions. An international team led by researchers from the University of Cologne, has examined tiny nematodes in the Chilean Atacama Desert. Along with the polar regions, the Atacama Desert is considered one among these most arid regions in the world. Lack of rainfall, high salt content in the soil, and extreme temperature fluctuations make it one of the most hostile places on earth. The interdisciplinary team with researchers from the fields of zoology, ecology and botany demonstrated the strategies used by different nematodes ...

Children’s Hospital Colorado research outlines first pediatric classifications for suicide risk in adolescents and kids

2026-01-13

AURORA, Colo. (January 13, 2025) – Today, pediatric experts from Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) announced published research in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that identifies five classifications of youth who have died by suicide. Using 10 years of national suicide data, Joel Stoddard, MD, MAS, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children’s Colorado, and his team found that nearly half of youth who died by suicide did not have clinical contact or a known ...

No thyme wasted: Harnessing the medicinal benefits of thyme extract With small doses

2026-01-13

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2026 — With a myriad of health effects, thyme extract may seem like a magic medicinal ingredient. Its biologically active compounds — thymol, carvacrol, rosmarinic acid, and caffeic acid — provide anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immune benefits. But thyme extract also has downsides. It vaporizes quickly (a waste of thyme!), making it challenging to use, and too much of it can be irritating, causing rashes and digestive issues. A solution to both problems is to encapsulate nanodroplets of thyme extract within another fluid, ...

Fat surrounding the colon interacts with the immune system

2026-01-13

Abdominal fat is not a uniform tissue. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, and Helmholtz Munich reveals that fat located close to the large intestine contains an unusually high number of inflammatory fat cells and immune cells. The findings suggest that this tissue is specially adapted to communicate with the immune system in the gut region. The study is published in the journal Cell Metabolism. In the study, researchers mapped five different abdominal fat depots in individuals with severe obesity. The results show clear differences between these depots. Most striking is the so-called epiploic fat tissue along the ...

Genetic predisposition to excess body weight and survival in women diagnosed with breast cancer

2026-01-13

About The Study: In this cohort of nonmetastatic breast cancer survivors, women who were genetically predisposed to having a higher body mass index were at increased risk of all-cause mortality. Targeted lifestyle recommendations to mitigate their genetic predisposition should be considered to lower this risk. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Clara Bodelon, PhD, MS, email clara.bodelon@cancer.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.53687) Editor’s Note: Please ...

New mega-analysis reveals why memory declines with age

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: