A team of international scientists has determined that at around age 44, there is a marked acceleration in the degradation of complex neural networks. This period, dubbed the “critical window,” lasts until around age 67 and offers a real opportunity for effective preventive intervention. The results and a description of the study appeared in the journal PNAS (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2416433122). 

A team of researchers from New York, Boston and Oxford analyzed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from more than 19,000 people of various ages. This allowed them to visualize brain activity and identify moments when neurodegenerative processes intensify. 

The results indicate that accelerated brain aging begins around age 44 and continues until around age 67, after which the process stabilizes. This period represents the so-called critical window – the time when preventive interventions can provide the greatest benefit. 

The researchers also analyzed what was happening in the brain at the molecular level during the accelerated aging process. They showed that neuronal insulin resistance was a major driver of accelerated brain aging.