Scientists have discovered: parenthood slows down brain aging

An international group of scientists has identified a surprising pattern: men and women who have children exhibit special patterns of brain connections that resist typical age-related changes. These intriguing results are presented in the study "The Protective Role of Fatherhood in Age-Related Brain Function in Middle and Old Age," published in the scientific journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," reports the Spanish publication El Pais.

Researchers conducted a thorough analysis of brain scans and family data from the UK Biobank. The results were quite unexpected: parents showed more pronounced connections in key sensory and motor networks of the brain - precisely in those areas that typically demonstrate decreased activity with age. Particularly interesting is that the identified effect, according to scientists, has a cumulative nature - the more children in the family, the better the neural connections are preserved in parents.

The senior author of the study, Professor at the Brain Health Institute of Rutgers University, Abraham Holmes, notes that the obtained data challenges the widespread notion that having children is primarily a source of stress.

"Research shows that raising children can provide an enriched environment that can benefit brain health by increasing physical activity, social interaction, and cognitive stimulation," emphasized Professor Holmes.