Unexpected event identified that accelerates brain aging

Sensational discovery: childhood trauma accelerates brain aging. Scientists from Germany's leading medical university have revealed a disturbing link between childhood stress and the development of neurodegenerative diseases. The research results are published in the prestigious scientific journal Annals of Neurology.

A large-scale study conducted at Berlin's Charité University included 179 females aged between 30 and 60 years. The choice of female participants was due to their increased predisposition to nervous system diseases.

"We began with thorough questionnaires of participants, identifying cases of serious stressful situations in their childhood years, before the onset of puberty," says study leader Lara Fleck, a doctoral student at the Institute of Medical Psychology at Charité.

During the work, specialists applied advanced blood analysis methods to detect specific biomarkers indicating inflammation and nerve tissue damage. The study was supplemented with magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and assessment of participants' cognitive abilities.

The study revealed a clear correlation between adverse childhood factors - domestic violence, neglect, parental alcoholism, criminal environment, and early loss of parents - and accelerated degradation of brain tissue. Women with traumatic childhood experiences showed smaller brain volume compared to those who grew up in favorable conditions.

However, scientists are quick to reassure: traumas experienced in childhood are not a sentence. The human body often demonstrates remarkable ability to recover, and many people successfully overcome the consequences of early trauma without serious damage to health.