Persistent financial difficulties may accelerate brain ageing, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at University College London (UCL). The investigation, which analysed decades of data from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (also known as the 1946 British cohort study), found that individuals who experienced ongoing money struggles in early and middle adulthood showed poorer cognitive performance in midlife and reduced brain health in later years.

The study tracked 2,759 participants, assessing income and financial hardship at several life stages—ages 26, 43, and 53. Persistent low income was defined as being in the bottom 20 percent of reported incomes on at least two occasions. Hardship measures included difficulties managing finances and paying bills. Those facing continuous economic challenges scored worse on cognitive tests at age 53. Brain imaging of participants in their late sixties to early seventies revealed that lower income levels were associated with diminished brain health.

Researchers noted that the negative effects of financial hardship on cognitive function appeared more pronounced in men, individuals who grew up in disadvantaged backgrounds, and those carrying a genetic variant linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The team suggested that prolonged money problems might reduce the brain’s “bandwidth”—the capacity for attention and decision-making—due to chronic stress impacting cognitive processing systems over time.

Dr Jacques Wels of UCL’s Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing explained that unlike previous studies focusing on singular episodes of financial difficulty, this study’s longitudinal approach highlights how cumulative hardship relates to poorer cognitive outcomes. The research, published in the journal *Innovation in Aging*, suggests that sustained economic adversity could have lasting consequences for brain health.

Professor Praveetha Patalay, also of UCL, emphasised the broader implications of the findings, noting that supporting individuals experiencing long-term financial hardship and reducing chronic poverty could potentially help prevent cognitive decline and lower the incidence of dementia. This is especially relevant amid a cost-of-living crisis affecting a record number of households.

While the study underscores an association between financial adversity and cognitive ageing, it does not establish a direct causal link. Nevertheless, the findings contribute to an emerging understanding of how socioeconomic factors may influence brain health over time and point to the importance of policy measures aimed at reducing economic insecurity.