Cognitive Clarity is the New Frontier in Longevity Science
MBRF Trustee, Dr. Patricia Boyle, recently spoke with Flow Space to discuss brainspan – an emerging term to describe the brain’s ability to flourish throughout the lifespan. She explains “Brainspan is specifically related to a person’s ability to function cognitively throughout their life, including maintaining mental clarity, decision-making skills, creativity and focus.” To put brainspan in context with terms like lifespan and healthspan, Dr. Boyle adds, “Brainspan aims to look holistically at how a person’s brain and cognitive function will likely change throughout life. It aligns with lifespan and healthspan through shared influences like genetics, environment, disease and biological aging, but divergences will typically occur later in life, when chronic diseases or dementia begin to take a toll.”
By: LAURYN HIGGINS
As science continues to expand our understanding of longevity and healthy aging, new terms are emerging to help define what it truly means to thrive over the course of a lifetime.
We’re familiar with lifespan—the total number of years lived—and healthspan—the years spent in good health, free of chronic disease and disability. These concepts have already reshaped how we talk about aging, moving the conversation beyond sheer longevity to the quality of those added years.
Now, researchers and clinicians are increasingly talking about brainspan: the duration of optimal brain function.
It is not just about preventing disease but about preserving the mental clarity, creativity, memory, and decision-making skills that allow people to fully participate in life. Unlike lifespan, which is easy to calculate, or healthspan, which is increasingly studied, brainspan is still emerging as a way to capture one of the most meaningful aspects of aging—how well our minds keep up as our bodies grow older.
This new lens on aging reflects an important cultural shift.
With more people living into their 80s, 90s and beyond, the question becomes not only how long we will live, but how well our brains will serve us across those decades. Brainspan brings that issue into focus, highlighting the difference between simply living longer and living fully engaged, mentally vibrant lives.
But what exactly does that mean, and how can we support it?
What Exactly Is ‘Brainspan’?
“Brainspan” refers to the number of years we maintain strong cognitive function—things like memory, focus, creativity, problem-solving and emotional regulation. In other words, it’s not just about having a brain free of disease, but about how well that brain continues to serve us as we age.
“Brainspan is specifically related to a person’s ability to function cognitively throughout their life, including maintaining mental clarity, decision-making skills, creativity and focus. Unlike lifespan, which is measured in years, brainspan is more about quality over time.”
Patricia Boyle, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Rush University and McKnight Brain Research Foundation Trustee
There’s no single standardized test yet to measure brainspan. Instead, experts rely on a combination of tools, including cognitive testing, brain imaging and blood tests for biomarkers that can predict risks for decline.
Dr. Michael Genovese, chief medical advisor at AscendantNY, notes that research is also beginning to focus on markers such as mitochondrial health and myelin integrity as potential indicators of brain wellness. “There’s no single accepted clinical standard yet,” he says, “but these emerging measures give us important windows into brain vitality.”
Dr. Blen Tesfu, a general practitioner at Welzo, a healthcare platform, adds that brainspan is often assessed through neuropsychological testing—evaluating memory recall, processing speed and executive function—alongside advanced imaging and biomarker analysis.
The growing attention to brainspan signals a shift in how we think about aging. Instead of only reacting to decline, the concept pushes researchers and individuals alike to focus on prevention, resilience and maintaining mental sharpness for as long as possible.
How Brainspan Differs from Lifespan and Healthspan
Lifespan, healthspan and brainspan are connected, but they each tell a different story. Lifespan is about longevity—the sheer number of years lived. Healthspan focuses on those years spent free from serious illness or disability. Brainspan narrows the lens even further, zeroing in on cognitive vitality and function.
Boyle emphasizes that brainspan is distinct from general brain health because it looks at the trajectory of brain function across time.
“Brain health often tends to focus on current performance. Brainspan aims to look holistically at how a person’s brain and cognitive function will likely change throughout life.”
Patricia Boyle, PhD
Tesfu agrees, noting that while healthspan and lifespan may overlap, brainspan can diverge sharply. “An individual could live to be in his or her 90s (lifespan) but have dementia in his/her 70s, indicating brainspan was lost decades earlier. Such a gap speaks loudly of the significance of brainspan as an independent indicator.”
These distinctions matter, says Boyle, because while advances in medicine have extended lifespan, both healthspan and brainspan have lagged behind. “With people living longer lives, we’re now challenged to help them maintain their quality of life by staying both physically and cognitively healthy,” she notes.
She adds that by understanding these terms in tandem, we can better appreciate how different aspects of aging intersect. Someone might live a long life but spend many of those years battling chronic disease or cognitive decline. Recognizing these distinctions provides a clearer roadmap for how to improve not just the length, but the quality of our years.
What the Milken Institute report reveals
The Milken Institute recently highlighted the growing importance of brainspan in its research on aging and dementia. Their report emphasizes that while life expectancy has steadily risen, the number of years people spend with cognitive impairment has also increased. In other words: people are living longer, but not necessarily with healthy brains.
The report underscores the urgent need for public health and clinical strategies to extend brainspan. It points to overlapping risk factors—such as poor cardiovascular health, limited education access and social isolation—that accelerate cognitive decline. Addressing these factors holistically could improve not just healthspan but also brainspan.
“Brainspan aligns with lifespan and healthspan through shared influences like genetics, environment, disease and biological aging,” Boyle explains. “But divergences will typically occur later in life, when chronic diseases or dementia begin to take a toll.”
Genovese adds that distinguishing these measures helps set clearer goals: “By separating them we ensure we don’t confuse living longer with living better. Brainspan forces us to prioritize cognitive vitality alongside physical health.”
The report also calls for greater investment in early interventions and community-based programs to keep people mentally active and socially connected. This is particularly important as dementia cases are expected to rise globally. Brainspan, the report suggests, could become a vital metric for shaping how societies prepare for longer lifespans.
Everyday Habits That Support Brainspan
The good news: while genetics and aging play roles in brainspan, lifestyle choices make a profound difference. Experts agree that many of the same habits that support healthspan can also help preserve brain function.
“Some of the key factors to maintaining brain health and maximizing your brainspan include exercising regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, getting enough sleep, maintaining social connections and continuing to challenge the brain by trying new hobbies and activities,” says Boyle.
Genovese emphasizes prevention and engagement: “The most evidence-based steps to support brainspan include exercise, diet and nutrition, good sleep and stress management. Reading, learning or any activity that involves heavy thinking makes the brain more resilient to aging.”
Tesfu highlights aerobic activity and nutrition as especially impactful: “Exercise, mainly aerobic, can boost blood flow to the brain and stimulate neurogenesis. Diets like the Mediterranean or MIND diet—rich in leafy greens, fish, nuts and berries—help reduce inflammation and improve neural health.”
Other strategies include:
Sleep: Prioritizing seven to nine hours of restorative sleep each night, which is critical for memory consolidation.
Social Connections: Maintaining friendships and community ties, which are strongly linked to cognitive resilience.
Mental Stimulation: Pursuing activities like reading, learning a language or even playing music to keep neural networks active.
Stress Management: Lowering chronic stress and cortisol levels, which accelerate brain aging.
“Over time, small daily choices accumulate into long-term benefits, making it possible to not only extend brainspan but also enhance day-to-day mental sharpness. We can think of the brain like a muscle—using it in new and different ways builds resilience and strength.”
Patricia Boyle, PhD
Visit Flow Space to read the full article.