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    "headline": "UCL study links persistent financial hardship to faster cognitive decline and poorer brain health",
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    "prose": "The UCL researchers reported that people who faced persistent financial difficulties or low income during early and middle adulthood performed worse on cognitive tests by age 53. [^1]\n\nResearchers at University College London (UCL) published a study in the journal 'Innovation in Aging' on 2026-04-12 linking sustained financial hardship during young adulthood to accelerated brain aging. [^2]\n\nAmong a subgroup who underwent brain scans, persistent low income was associated with poorer brain health, including more brain shrinkage, at ages 69 to 71, according to the UCL researchers. [^3]\n\nThe associations held after the researchers accounted for childhood cognitive ability, education level, and childhood disadvantage. [^4]\n\nUniversity College London researchers published a study in Innovation in Aging analyzing data from 2,759 UK participants in the 1946 British cohort study (MRC National Survey of Health and Development). [^5]\n\nParticipants who experienced chronic low income or financial stress between ages 26 and 53 showed significantly lower cognitive performance in memory and processing speed tests by age 53. [^6]\n\nThe researchers identified chronic inflammation and cognitive load as the primary mechanisms through which financial stress accelerates brain aging. [^7]\n\nThe study analyzed data from 2,759 British people born in 1946, tracking their financial status and brain health over several decades. [^8]",
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