By Abbas Nazil
A new study at Wake Forest University School of Medicine has revealed that where people live may significantly affect their brain health and risk of developing dementia.
The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Behavior & Socioeconomics of Aging, shows that individuals living in socially and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods displayed measurable differences in brain structure and function.
Researchers analyzed data from 679 adults participating in the Healthy Brain Study at the Wake Forest Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
Participants underwent brain scans and blood tests to identify early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
The results were compared against three national-level tools — the Area Deprivation Index, Social Vulnerability Index, and Environmental Justice Index — which measure neighborhood conditions based on zip codes.
Findings revealed that people living in neighborhoods with higher social and environmental burdens had more signs of dementia-related brain changes.
These included a thinner outer brain layer, white matter changes linked to vascular disease, reduced blood flow, and uneven circulation — all of which contribute to cognitive decline over time.
The effects were especially notable among Black participants whose neighborhoods faced higher levels of social disadvantage.
Lead author Sudarshan Krishnamurthy emphasized that environmental factors such as access to clean air, safe housing, nutritious food, and economic opportunity leave a lasting imprint on brain health.
Senior author Timothy Hughes added that the research reinforces how social conditions directly shape neurological outcomes.
The study calls for policymakers to look beyond individual lifestyle choices and address broader neighborhood-level inequalities that drive health disparities.
Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, the research underscores the urgent need for systemic change to improve brain health across all communities.
