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A UCLA-led study found that adults whose brains appeared older than their chronological age tended to perform worse on working-memory and executive-function tests and report more depressive symptoms. In one of the three study groups, brain-age scores were also associated with particular gut bacteria and metabolic compounds; the findings show links, not proof that gut changes cause brain aging.
A study led by UCLA Health researchers found that adults whose brains appeared older than their chronological age tended to score lower on tests of working memory and executive function and report more depressive symptoms, findings consistent with research on brain aging and health. In one of three groups examined, researchers also linked higher brain-age scores with differences in gut bacteria and chemical byproducts, suggesting a possible connection that the study does not establish as cause and effect.
Published in eBioMedicine, the study examined brain scans from nearly 1,500 adults divided among three groups. The researchers used resting-state scans to assess how brain regions communicate, then applied a computer model to estimate each participant’s age from those patterns. They compared that estimate with actual age to calculate a measure they called the Brain Aging Index (BAI).
Across the three groups, a higher BAI — meaning a brain estimated to be older than the person’s chronological age — was generally associated with poorer performance on tests of working memory and executive function. Those skills include keeping information in mind, focusing, planning and organizing. Participants with higher BAI scores also reported more depressive symptoms. The researchers said patterns repeatedly involved brain regions related to memory and self-referential thought.
For participants in one group, the team also analyzed stool samples. Higher BAI scores were associated with specific gut bacteria and several metabolic byproducts, including certain fat molecules, a cholesterol-related compound and lower levels of the hormone estetrol. The associated pathways related to immune activity, blood-vessel function, communication between brain cells and cellular energy production. These results identify correlations; they do not show that the bacteria or compounds caused the brain-age scores or the cognitive and mood differences.
Early Signals in Brain Health
The findings add a possible gut-related dimension to research on brain aging, a measure that can differ from chronological age. Earlier work has often focused on older adults or people with neurological conditions. Studying generally healthy adults may help researchers investigate whether measurable differences appear before obvious problems with memory or thinking.
The potential relevance is still at the research stage. The study did not test a treatment, show that changing gut bacteria would alter brain age, or establish that its associations predict future decline for an individual. Its value is in identifying candidate biological signals and pathways for follow-up research, not in offering a diagnostic test or a reason to change diet or supplements based on these results.
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How Researchers Estimated Brain Age
Researchers have used brain scans to estimate “brain age” by comparing a person’s brain characteristics with patterns associated with age. A brain-age estimate higher than a person’s actual age has been associated in prior research with poorer memory, weaker thinking skills and mood changes. Such an estimate is a research measure, not a direct measure of a person’s future health.
In this study, the team focused on communication between brain regions while participants were at rest, rather than relying only on structural measurements. The BAI was the difference between the model’s estimated age and chronological age. The researchers then compared this measure with cognitive tests and reported mood symptoms across all three groups, and with gut samples in one group. The gut analysis therefore covered only part of the overall study population.
Senior author Dr. Arpana Church, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA Health, said the work examines biological signals that may be detectable before noticeable difficulties emerge. She described gut health as a possible area for future investigation, not a proven route to preventing brain aging.
What the Associations Cannot Show
The reported findings are associations, not evidence of causation. The study does not show that gut bacteria or metabolites make the brain age faster, or that brain changes lead to the gut differences. It also does not demonstrate that changing the microbiome improves memory, mood or brain-age estimates.
The gut-sample analysis was conducted in one of the three groups, and the report does not establish whether the same bacterial and chemical associations would appear in the other groups or in a broader population. It is also unclear whether the observed signals can predict future cognitive or mood-related decline, how accurate they might be for individuals, or how factors such as diet and other health characteristics affect the relationships.
Testing the Gut-Brain Links
The next step is further research to see whether the reported associations hold in additional groups and over time, and whether particular gut signals track later changes in cognition or mood. Researchers would also need to test whether any relationship is causal and whether altering gut-related factors changes brain measures or health outcomes.
For now, the study offers no validated screening approach or clinical recommendation based on stool samples or the Brain Aging Index. Its authors’ proposed possibility of targeting gut health remains a question for future studies, with no intervention or preventive benefit demonstrated by this report.
Key Questions
What did the UCLA study find?
Across three groups, higher Brain Aging Index scores were generally associated with lower working-memory and executive-function test performance and more reported depressive symptoms. In one group, higher scores were also associated with particular gut bacteria and metabolic compounds.
Does the study prove gut bacteria cause brain aging?
No. The researchers reported associations, which cannot establish whether gut differences contribute to brain changes, follow them, or relate to other factors.
What is the Brain Aging Index?
It is the difference between a computer model’s brain-age estimate, based on resting-state communication patterns in brain scans, and a participant’s chronological age. It is a research measure, not a diagnosis.
Can gut testing predict an individual’s cognitive decline?
The report does not establish that stool testing can predict an individual’s future memory, thinking or mood changes. The gut analysis covered one study group, and no validated prediction test was reported.
Does the study show that changing gut health protects the brain?
No. The study did not test a diet, supplement or other intervention. Whether targeting gut health could support brain aging remains a future research question.
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