New midlife MRI spots rapid aging, signs of disease long before symptoms
14 Jul 2025 by Ted Escobedo 1 min read
Imagine a tool to measure how fast you’re aging… while you’re still reasonably healthy. From a single MRI of your head, researchers can measure your aging rate and predict your risk of dementia and disability years into the future, while you might still have a shot at improving your health. Credit: Ethan Whitman, Duke University
Any high school reunion is a sharp reminder that some people age more gracefully than others. Some enter their older years still physically spry and mentally sharp. Others start feeling frail or forgetful much earlier in life than expected.
"The way we age as we get older is quite distinct from how many times we've traveled around the sun," said Ahmad Hariri, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University.
Now, scientists at Duke, Harvard and the University of Otago in New Zealand have developed a freely available tool that can tell how fast someone is aging, and while they're still reasonably healthy -- by looking at a snapshot of their brain.
From a single MRI brain scan, the tool can estimate your risk in midlife for chronic diseases that typically emerge decades later. That information could help motivate lifestyle and dietary changes that improve health.
Know more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/2507...
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