Antiaging Checkup: Brain Age

Vascular age, which is used as an indicator of arteriosclerosis, has been utilized in regular health checkups, but the indicators for neural age or brain age are not well established. According to a study comparing monkeys that were fed a restricted diet for 20 years with those that were allowed to eat freely, the overfed monkeys showed signs of aging, such as a wrinkled face and significant hair loss, after 20 years [1] (Fig. 131.1). On the other hand, the restricted diet monkeys had sharp eyes, a robust face, and thick fur, clearly showing that aging was suppressed and antiaging effects were evident. In a study of ten pairs of identical twins in Denmark, composite photos were made from ten people who looked younger and ten people who looked older, and despite being genetically identical, clear differences in appearance were reproduced [2]. In a study of about 600 middle-aged and elderly men and women in the Netherlands (average age 60), it was reported that the higher the blood sugar level, the older the perceived age, regardless of whether they had diabetes [3]. Furthermore, a study in North Carolina, USA, reported that visceral age and perceived age are proportional, and cognitive function is also proportional [4]. These studies did not sufficiently examine brain age, but if the brain ages along with the blood vessels, it is speculated that brain age will also correlate with perceived age.