Small self-test can measure the true brain health

A simple test can determine the health of your brain

Have you always wanted to know how healthy your brain really is? Then there is an uncomplicated way to determine this. A simple self-analysis can help you judge if your brain is healthy or not.

Researchers at Seoul National University found in their current research that there is an easy way to assess brain health. Through self-analysis, people can find out how healthy their brains are. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience".

How old do you feel??

If people feel that they are actually younger than their actual age indicates, according to the experts, this can be an indication of the overall health of the brain.

People who feel younger have more gray matter in the brain

By analyzing brain scans, the researchers found that people who perceive themselves as younger have more gray matter in critical brain areas. This is considered an indication of a healthy brain. The gray matter fulfills numerous functions in the brain, including the purification of harmful substances and the transport of glucose, explain the physicians. The study also found that people who felt younger performed better on memory tests and less often developed depressive symptoms.

Structural features of a younger brain

To analyze the influence of subjective age, researchers asked 68 people, aged 59 to 84, how old they really are and how old they actually feel. The responses to this survey were then compared with the participants' brain scans. It has been found that people who feel younger have the structural features of a younger brain, explains study author Professor Jeanyung Chey of Seoul National University.

Lifestyle and activities have a great influence on the perceived age

The researchers also found that a person who feels subjectively older than their actual age does so because of biological changes or lifestyle choices. If a person feels older than he actually is, it may be a sign of the person revising their lifestyle, habits, and activities that could contribute to brain aging. Then action should be taken to improve brain health, advises Professor Chey.

Increased perceived age can indicate serious problems

According to the study, an older subjective age can also be an indicator of a more serious problem, such as the early stages of dementia, explain the experts. Awareness of one's own subjective age is particularly important because it can provide information about the health of the brain. When people feel younger than their true age and live a physically and mentally active lifestyle, the result is a healthier brain, say the physicians. (As)