Anders M Fjell
@andersfjell.bsky.social
Professor of psychology. Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition. University of Oslo. Interested in the brain from the start to the end. www.lcbc.uio.no
New in @pnas.org When did the Flynn effect reverse? Earlier than we thought, but rising high-school completion among lower-SES children temporarily masked the decline. Reversal: highest SES ~1969; lowest SES ~1978. @lcbc-uio.bsky.social @olerogeberg.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
How long can humans live? "If anti-ageing research worked, even a little, it would be obvious. An eight-year reduction in biological age would halve the risk of death. It would not need marketing." www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How long can humans live? We simply don’t know
Claims about the upper limits to human lifespan are characterized by hype, deficient data and shoddy science, says longevity researcher Saul Newman.
nature.com
Interesting result
Anders M Fjell@andersfjell.bsky.social · 2mo agoUp to age 60, adult brain volume completely dominated by stable individual diffs. At 80 yrs, up to 50% reflects differences in change. Interpretation: 1) We change similarly up to 60. 2) Group comparisons often not reflecting changes. @Edvardosg @LCBC_UiO direct.mit.edu/imag/article...
Using a stochastic dynamical model, Grodem et al show that, before age 60, inter-individual differences in neuroanatomical volumes almost exclusively reflect stable differences between individuals, rather than systematic differences in rate-of-change: doi.org/10.1162/IMAG.a.1242
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Edvard O.S. Grødem, Anders M. Fjell, et al: Stable individual differences dominate adult brain volume variation until later life doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Paper out now involving LIP colleagues @brandmaier.bsky.social and Ulman Lindenberger!
Anders M Fjell@andersfjell.bsky.social · 2mo agoUp to age 60, adult brain volume completely dominated by stable individual diffs. At 80 yrs, up to 50% reflects differences in change. Interpretation: 1) We change similarly up to 60. 2) Group comparisons often not reflecting changes. @Edvardosg @LCBC_UiO direct.mit.edu/imag/article...
Up to age 60, adult brain volume completely dominated by stable individual diffs. At 80 yrs, up to 50% reflects differences in change. Interpretation: 1) We change similarly up to 60. 2) Group comparisons often not reflecting changes. @Edvardosg @LCBC_UiO direct.mit.edu/imag/article...
Stable Individual Differences Dominate Adult Brain Volume Variation Until Later Life
Abstract. Individual differences in the volumes of brain structures are often linked to various conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and overall brain health. However, it remains ...
direct.mit.edu
Cognitive function at age 13 predicts dementia 60 years later, even controlling for cardiovascular and cardiometabolic risk. @KWalhovd www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
medrxiv.org
Interested in neuroimaging and cognition in aging and want to work with us? We have an open position @KWalhovd @LCBC_UiO 2411.webcruiter.no/Main2/Recrui...
Researcher in neuroimaging and cognitive change of aging
We have a 3-year researcher position for analysing longitudinal brain MRI data in relation to cognitive- and other biomarker data.The shift to a biomarker-based definition of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) ...
2411.webcruiter.no
Use of brain age models frequently lead to wrong conclusions - unfortunately it is not easy to fix. Fortunately, there are better alternatives. @edvardg.bsky.social @fmrib-steve.bsky.social @didacvp.bsky.social @maxwellelliott.bsky.social @k.b.walhovd www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reconsidering Brain Age: Why Age-Prediction Models Fail as Measures of Brain Aging
Brain age models - machine-learning predictions of chronological age from brain imaging - are widely interpreted as markers of accelerated brain aging. Here we show that this interpretation cannot be ...
medrxiv.org
Reconsidering Brain Age: Why Age-Prediction Models Fail as Measures of Brain Aging #NeuroDegeneration 🧪🧠 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.07.26352620v1
New Cochrane review on effects of the anti-amyloid drugs: "Successful removal of amyloid from the brain does not seem to be associated with clinically meaningful effects ... research should focus on other mechanisms of action." www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10....
Amyloid‐beta‐targeting monoclonal antibodies for people with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease - Nonino, F - 2026 | Cochrane Library
Select your preferred language for Cochrane reviews and other content. Sections without translation will be in English.
cochranelibrary.com
Dementia incidence declines - we find generational improvements in level and age-change in episodic memory combined account for the full effect. Effects strongest with most decline, supported by hippocampal atrophy. ~783,000 memory assessments www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
Does memory fade slowly, or in drops and bursts? We analyzed 728k tests from 210k people. Key finding: “stability” isn’t a trait you either have or don’t have - it’s often a time-limited state at different points in aging. Preprint "Punctuated Memory Change": 👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
An international research effort combining brain imaging and memory testing from thousands of adults is offering a clearer picture of how age-related brain changes affect memory. @andersfjell.bsky.social Learn More in Nature Communications @natureportfolio.nature.com 👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Why do some people lose memory faster with age? A mega-analysis of 13 longitudinal datasets (3,700+ adults, 10,000+ MRIs) shows that memory decline tracks brain atrophy, especially in the hippocampus, and that these links strengthen with age, but not APOE status: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Vulnerability to memory decline in aging revealed by a mega-analysis of structural brain change www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Vulnerability to memory decline in aging revealed by a mega-analysis of structural brain change - Nature Communications
Across 13 longitudinal studies (3,737 adults), the authors show that brain atrophy parallels memory loss, with a stronger coupling in later life. APOE ε4 increases decline, yet genetic risk does not m...
nature.com
" Our mega-analysis reveals a nonlinear relationship between memory decline and brain atrophy, primarily affecting individuals with above-average brain structural decline. "
Hugo Spiers@hugospiers.bsky.social · 8mo agoImpressive MEGA-analysis: Vulnerability to memory decline in aging revealed by a mega-analysis of structural brain change www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Very impressed with @didacvp.bsky.social's work in @natcomms.nature.com, the most thorough mapping of longitudinal memory-atrophy relationships in normal aging, showing both global and memory-specific associations, which grow stronger with age. Early accsess here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Impressive MEGA-analysis: Vulnerability to memory decline in aging revealed by a mega-analysis of structural brain change www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Vulnerability to memory decline in aging revealed by a mega-analysis of structural brain change - Nature Communications
Across 13 longitudinal studies (3,737 adults), the authors show that brain atrophy parallels memory loss, with a stronger coupling in later life. APOE ε4 increases decline, yet genetic risk does not m...
nature.com
Thanks for the fun and interesting discussions @kathrynbates.bsky.social and Chloe Carrick
Dr Kathryn Bates@kathrynbates.bsky.social · 9mo agoIs sleep important for the brain? 🧠😴 we asked Professor @andersfjell.bsky.social and explored the different theories as to why we sleep, and why the golden 7 hours might not be for everyone: www.scienceorfiction.co.uk/p/is-sleep-i...
Over 12,500 brain scans from cognitively healthy adults reveal that sex differences in age-related brain atrophy can’t explain why women have higher rates of Alzheimer's disease. The authors call for research into alternative explanations. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/hIYj50XgiCn
It is this type of sky over the university. Morning office window view.
@nature.com made a news piece on our new @pnas.org paper. Good job Anne Ravndal! Men’s brains shrink faster than women’s: what that means for Alzheimer’s. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Another interesting paper from LifeBrain consortium suggesting that sex differences in healthy brain aging are unlikely to explain higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in women www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Sex differences in healthy brain aging are unlikely to explain higher Alzheimer’s disease prevalence in women | PNAS
As Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is diagnosed more frequently in women, understanding the role of sex has become a key priority in AD research. However,...
pnas.org
@pnas.org: Small sex differences in brain aging, steeper decline in men in some regions. Does not explain why more women are diagnosed with AD. 12,638 longitudinal MRIs, 4,726 participants across 14 cohorts. Control for head-size, education, life-expectancy. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Sex differences in healthy brain aging are unlikely to explain higher Alzheimer’s disease prevalence in women | PNAS
As Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is diagnosed more frequently in women, understanding the role of sex has become a key priority in AD research. However,...
pnas.org
Using 4570 longitudinal MRIs + 1684 Aβ PET scans from cognitively healthy older adults @jamesmroe.bsky.social find cortical thickness changed ≥7 years before PET-detectable Aβ. Those who later developed high Aβ already had thicker cortex & less thinning. @LCBC_uio www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Cortical thickness changes precede high levels of amyloid by at least seven years
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is now defined based on its underlying brain pathology, with the presence of amyloid (Aβ) plaques at high enough levels sufficient to warrant a diagnosis in the absence of cog...
biorxiv.org
🧠 Education boosts memory levels but not brain aging resistance A new study across 33 countries found more education links to better memory and larger brain volume, but not slower cognitive or brain decline. 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41... #SciComm 🧪
Reevaluating the role of education on cognitive decline and brain aging in longitudinal cohorts across 33 Western countries - Nature Medicine
In a large cross-national study, education was linked to better memory and larger brain volumes but not to slower cognitive or brain decline with age, suggesting that the association reflects early-li...
nature.com
@natmed.nature.com made a nice Research Briefing about our paper. Highglights with less details, the main conclusion is the same: Education does not affect memory decline or brain aging @LCBC_UiO @LifebrainEU www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Education does not affect memory decline or brain aging - Nature Medicine
Competing explanations account for education’s link to better memory and brain structure in older age. By analyzing more than 400,000 memory scores and over 15,000 MRI scans, we found the association ...
nature.com
