Our brains age naturally, just like our bodies. For some, this makes it difficult to remember, understand new information, make decisions, and manage emotions like anger or sadness.

Brain aging happens earlier, faster, and more often in some groups and later, slower, and less often in others. Men’s brains, for example, are more likely to age faster than women’s brains, and black men’s brains age faster than any other group. For those at risk, this means less time with family and friends, and a more challenging daily life.

Our mission is to use research to improve health and support the well-being of men of all ages. Previous research on brain health has focused on biological factors, but we know that a person’s psychology, personal beliefs, social groups, and surroundings are also fundamental for brain wellness. These psychosocial factors vary for different groups, such as among Black, White, and Latino men, but more must be understood about how these factors affect brain health. The goal of this study is to discover the effects these important factors have on brain aging to support people like you, your friends, family, and community members.

Why study athletes? We study athletes because they often experience great physical stress and high rates of injury. Research suggests repeated head injury—both concussive and sub concussive—speeds up the brain’s natural aging process, making former athletes an ideal population to study long-term changes in brain health. It is important to understand how various psychosocial factors work to accelerate or slow down brain aging and how they impact the overall health of men over the life course. Our goal is to use these findings to inform the care of men of all ages. Learn more about the study.