A novel assessment has been created to determine the length of your lifespan.
In a groundbreaking development, scientists from Duke University, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard and the University of Otago, have created a new method for predicting human lifespan using a single MRI brain scan taken around the age of 40. This innovative approach, published in Nature Aging in July 2025, measures the speed of biological aging by analysing structural features of the brain, such as volume, thickness of different regions, and the ratio of white to gray matter.
The new method, known as DunedinPACE-N, analyses over 300 brain characteristics using machine learning algorithms to identify patterns associated with accelerated aging. This "brain age" measurement serves as a biological clock that predicts future risks. People whose brains exhibit signs of faster aging tend to have weaker memory, more health problems, and a higher risk of developing chronic diseases such as dementia, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, often many years before symptoms appear.
The prediction tool was validated using longitudinal data from large studies, including the Dunedin Study in New Zealand, tracking participants over decades with regular assessments of organ function and health outcomes. This broad validation suggests the method can reliably identify early disease risk and biological aging differences across diverse populations and backgrounds.
Importantly, this method does not only forecast the likelihood of diseases but also indicates overall risk of early death. It offers an early-warning system decades before clinical symptoms would typically manifest, enabling targeted lifestyle changes, preventative interventions, and testing of new treatments when they may be most effective.
The study findings highlight the importance of regular brain health check-ups for early disease detection and prevention. Those with "younger" brains performed better in memory and cognition tests and had lower age-related degeneration scores. Conversely, those with "older" brains were 40% more likely to die in the following years. The study indicates that "brain age" could be a more accurate predictor of health outcomes than passport age.
Moreover, the study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the use of brain imaging for health and aging research. The method developed by scientists from Duke University can predict the risk of developing serious diseases like dementia. The faster the changes, the higher the risk of premature death or chronic diseases.
The implications of this study for personalized medicine and aging prevention strategies are significant. Regular MRIs could become a new tool for early diagnosis and aging prevention, offering a potential pathway for targeted interventions to improve health outcomes and extend lifespans.
- The study findings suggest that 'mental health' could be improved by adopting early lifestyle changes based on the "brain age" predicted by the DunedinPACE-N method, as people with younger brains performed better in memory and cognition tests.
- The new method, DunedinPACE-N, not only predicts the risk of developing chronic diseases such as dementia, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes but also indicates the overall risk of early death, making it a crucial tool in 'fitness-and-exercise' and 'health-and-wellness' management.
- This study underscores the importance of 'medical-conditions' research, particularly in the field of 'science', as the method developed by scientists from Duke University can predict the risk of developing serious diseases by analyzing structural features of the brain using a single MRI brain scan.
