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A UCLA study found that adults whose brain scans appeared older than their chronological age tended to perform worse on some memory and thinking tests and report more depressive symptoms. In one of three study groups, a higher brain-age measure was also associated with particular gut bacteria and metabolic compounds; the findings do not show that gut microbes cause brain aging.
A UCLA Health study of nearly 1,500 adults found that people whose brain scans looked older than their chronological age tended to have weaker performance on some memory and thinking tests and report more depressive symptoms. Brain scans can also reveal disorders linked to faster brain aging. In one of the three study groups, a higher brain-age measure was also associated with specific gut bacteria and metabolic compounds, a finding researchers say could help guide future work but does not show that gut microbes cause the brain to age.
The researchers used scans that measured how different brain regions communicated while participants were at rest. A computer model estimated each participant’s age from those patterns. The researchers compared that estimate with chronological age and called the difference the Brain Aging Index (BAI). The study included three separate groups of adults, and the team examined the links between BAI, cognitive test results and reported mood symptoms.
Across all three groups, a higher BAI was generally associated with lower scores on tests of working memory and executive function, abilities involved in holding information in mind, focusing, planning and organizing. Participants with higher BAI also reported more symptoms of depression. The patterns repeatedly involved brain regions linked to memory and self-referential thought, the report said.
In one group, the team also analyzed stool samples. Higher BAI was associated with particular gut bacteria and several metabolic byproducts, including certain fat molecules, a cholesterol-related compound and lower levels of the hormone estetrol. The researchers linked these signals to pathways involving immunity, blood vessel function, communication between brain cells and cellular energy production. These are associations; the study material does not establish that the bacteria or compounds caused the brain-scan differences, or that changing them would improve cognition or mood.
Why Early Brain-Age Signals Matter
The findings add to research into whether differences associated with brain aging can be detected before someone develops noticeable problems with memory or thinking. Earlier work cited in the report had focused largely on older adults or people with neurological conditions. By studying three adult groups and finding similar links between the brain-age measure and cognitive and mood measures, the UCLA team offers evidence that the pattern is worth investigating beyond those populations.
The gut results offer a possible line of inquiry because they connect a brain-scan measure with biological signals researchers can study in stool samples. If later studies confirm and clarify these relationships, they could help scientists investigate how gut, immune, vascular and brain processes relate to one another. For now, the findings do not provide a screening test, identify an individual’s future risk, or support claims that a diet, supplement or microbiome treatment can slow brain aging.
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How Researchers Estimated Brain Age
Brain age is an estimate based on features of the brain, not a person’s calendar age or a diagnosis. In this study, the model used patterns of communication between brain areas at rest to estimate age. The BAI represented the difference between that estimate and participants’ actual ages; a higher index indicated a brain that appeared older relative to chronological age under the study’s measure.
The report describes the study as published in eBioMedicine and led by UCLA Health researchers. Its senior author, Dr. Arpana Church, is co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA Health. The research considered links among brain scans, test performance and mood across three groups, while the stool-sample analysis was limited to one group. That distinction matters: the gut findings do not represent a gut analysis of all nearly 1,500 participants.
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What the Gut Findings Cannot Show
The study’s reported relationships do not establish whether gut bacteria or their metabolites influence brain aging, whether brain changes affect the gut, or whether other factors contribute to both. The stool analysis came from one of the three groups, and the report does not provide enough detail to determine whether the associations apply to other populations or can predict later cognitive or mood changes in individuals.
The report also does not establish that the Brain Aging Index is ready for routine clinical use, give a threshold for elevated risk, or show that changing gut bacteria would alter brain age. The size and duration of any follow-up work, and whether any specific intervention will be tested, remain unclear from the supplied study summary.
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Further Studies Must Test Causation
The next step is for researchers to test whether the reported associations hold up in additional groups and over time, and to determine how the gut signals relate to changes in brain function. Studies that track participants longitudinally could help distinguish signals that precede brain changes from those that occur alongside them. Intervention research would also be needed before claiming that altering gut health can affect the Brain Aging Index or support cognitive health.
Church said the findings could help researchers identify pathways to investigate and explore whether gut health might eventually be a target for supporting healthier brain aging. At present, the report describes a research direction rather than a recommended treatment or a change to clinical care.
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Key Questions
What does the Brain Aging Index measure?
It is the difference between a person’s chronological age and an age estimate generated from brain-scan patterns of communication between regions while at rest. A higher value means the brain appeared older relative to chronological age under the study’s model.
Did the study show that gut bacteria cause brain aging?
No. The study reported associations between the brain-age measure and certain gut bacteria and metabolic compounds in one participant group. It did not establish cause and effect.
What other outcomes were associated with a higher Brain Aging Index?
Across the three groups, a higher index was generally linked to lower performance on working-memory and executive-function tests and to more reported symptoms of depression. These are group-level associations, not a diagnosis for any individual.
Does this mean people should change their diet or take supplements?
The report does not show that dietary changes, supplements or microbiome treatments can change brain aging. It describes questions for future research, not treatment advice.
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