Amid trend in health optimization, Berkeley scientists focus on optimizing the brain
UC Berkeley neurologist Mark D’Esposito is leading efforts to establish measurable brain health benchmarks and preventive strategies, arguing that brain optimization should be central to health optimization amid rising interest in longevity interventions.
Neurologist Mark D’Esposito of UC Berkeley’s Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute argues that while wearable devices and extreme fitness routines dominate health optimization trends, the brain’s performance remains underemphasized. After decades of MRI-based research on brain function, he is now advocating for standardized MRI benchmarks to assess brain health across all ages. D’Esposito highlights a shift in neurology toward preventive care, noting growing support from institutions like the American Academy of Neurology and the World Health Organization for brain health initiatives. His public outreach aims to elevate brain health as a priority alongside physical health.
D’Esposito and colleagues founded the Society for Brain Health to evaluate interventions such as brain fitness games and biomarkers like MRI scans or blood tests. The group plans its first meeting in February to present research on effective brain health strategies. Meanwhile, the BrainHealth Project, launched five years ago, has enrolled nearly 40,000 participants to test a 22-measure BrainHealth Index that assesses cognitive, social, and emotional well-being. The project combines lifestyle questionnaires, online tasks, and coaching to help individuals improve their scores over time.
The BrainHealth Index, developed by the Center for BrainHealth at UT-Dallas, tracks holistic brain function, including clear thinking, emotional balance, and social connection. Cognitive neuroscientist Sandra Chapman, the project’s director, describes it as a behavioral measure that can be taken repeatedly to monitor progress. The project adopts a lifespan approach, starting in middle school, with no upper limit on potential improvement. D’Esposito compares the initiative to the Framingham Heart Study, aiming to identify brain health risk factors and interventions through long-term data collection.
Recent findings from the BrainHealth Project, published in Scientific Reports, show sustained improvements in brain health among nearly 4,000 participants aged 19 to 94 over three years, challenging the assumption that cognitive decline is inevitable with age. Researchers are expanding the project to include sleep metrics, using wearables like the Oura ring to measure duration, quality, regularity, and timing of sleep. D’Esposito has identified brain modularity—measured via a 10-minute resting fMRI—as a key indicator of better cognitive function, comparing brain networks to airline hubs to explain how disruptions in critical areas affect overall performance.