AUC researchers co-author Nature Medicine study on global brain aging

A team from The American University in Cairo, led by Professor Mohamed Salama and Assistant Professor May Bakr, contributed to a major international study on brain aging published in Nature Medicine, according to a press release (pdf).

What’s the study about? The main takeaway is that where you live determines how fast your brain ages. Looking at 18,701 people across 34 countries, the researchers found that the combined weight of environmental, social, and political conditions — pollution, extreme heat, inequality, political instability — was up to 15 times more powerful at predicting brain aging than any single factor. In some cases, the toll was on par with mild cognitive impairment.