# UK researchers find environment shapes how brain ages  
**Published:** 2026-04-15T14:21:24.000Z  
**Source:** [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-contributes-global-study-showing-where-people-live-may-impact-how-brain-ages)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/uk-researchers-find-environment-shapes-how-brain-ages

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Where people live, the air they breathe and the social conditions they experience may play a major role in how the brain ages, according to a [large international study recently published in Nature Medicine](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04302-z).

Researchers analyzed brain scans and health data from 18,701 people across 34 countries and found that combined environmental and social conditions were strongly linked to whether the brain appeared biologically older or younger than a person's actual age. [The work included researchers from the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-contributes-global-study-showing-where-people-live-may-impact-how-brain-ages), a [nationally-recognized leader in brain aging research and clinical care](https://medicine.uky.edu/centers/sbcoa).

Rather than examining single factors in isolation, researchers evaluated the "exposome" — the full range of environmental, social and contextual factors people experience over their lives. These included air pollution, climate patterns, access to green space, water quality, poverty, education, inequality and civic participation. [When these factors were considered together, they explained up to 15 times more variance in brain aging than any single factor alone](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-global-combined-pollution-inequality-brain.html), and in many cases, more than a person's clinical diagnosis, such as Alzheimer's disease.

"This study shows that brain health is shaped not only by biology and individual choices, but also by the broader environments people live in," said Yang Jiang, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Behavioral Science in the [UK College of Medicine](https://medicine.uky.edu) and an affiliated faculty member at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. [Jiang's lab studies brain and cognitive aging in diverse populations using neurophysiology and neuroimaging methods](https://medicine.uky.edu/users/yjiang), and is the only group in the United States contributing electroencephalogram (EEG) data to this brain clock study.

Using advanced brain imaging and machine learning tools, researchers estimated each participant's "brain age" and compared it to their chronological age. A larger gap, where the brain appears older than expected, has been linked in previous research to cognitive decline and dementia risk.

The study found distinct patterns between physical and social environments. Physical factors such as higher air pollution, extreme temperatures and limited access to green space were most strongly linked to structural changes in the brain. Social factors — including poverty, inequality, weaker democratic institutions and lower civic participation — were more closely associated with changes in how different brain regions communicate.

Importantly, these combined environmental and social pressures were linked to accelerated brain aging even in people without diagnosed neurological disease. The Sanders-Brown Center contributed a unique long-standing brainwave dataset spanning more than two decades, allowing researchers to place current brain aging patterns in a historical biological context.

The findings suggest that efforts to promote healthy brain aging should go beyond individual lifestyle changes and medical care alone. "Policies that reduce air pollution, expand access to urban green spaces, improve water quality, and strengthen social protection systems may also support healthier brain aging," the study authors wrote.

## Sources

- [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-contributes-global-study-showing-where-people-live-may-impact-how-brain-ages)
- [The exposome of brain ageing across 35 countries in Nature Medicine](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04302-z)
- [Sanders-Brown Center on Aging](https://medicine.uky.edu/centers/sbcoa)
- [Global study finds combined pollution and inequality can accelerate brain aging](https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-global-combined-pollution-inequality-brain.html)
- [Yang Jiang, PhD - University of Kentucky College of Medicine](https://medicine.uky.edu/users/yjiang)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from University of Kentucky News, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://uknow.uky.edu/research/uk-contributes-global-study-showing-where-people-live-may-impact-how-brain-ages.