At a community in Florida named Lakewood Ranch 36,000 people have been part of a decades-long study. The study is to learn how your brain ages and what causes its decline.

Can Researchers Figure Out How Your Brain Ages?

 

The Academy for Brain Health and Performance and Massachusetts General Hospital are doing the study.

A study like this is rare because of how long it takes and how much money it needs. The goal was to be a huge, one of a kind, study to look at issues of the brain.

Little is known about the brain and what can affect it. The study is to help not only learn about the mind but the aging process as well. It should help researchers understand illnesses like autism, addiction, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and other diseases better.

While the study has a focus on older brains, participants are of all ages and different brain health statuses.

Phase One Complete

 

The first part has finished, and surveys were sent to the residents to see if they wanted to join the study. Out of everyone, 454 adults and 42 kids want to be part of the study. The group is filled with business leaders, medical professors, teachers, students, people from religious and civic organizations, and other people from different communities. The ages ranged from 17 to 81.

Phase two will build the organization’s infrastructure within Lakewood Ranch.

Read more about the study and its progress here.