Social-Environment Factors Linked to Brain Structure, Function

THURSDAY, Oct. 23, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Individuals living in neighborhoods with higher levels of social vulnerability, environmental injustice and socioeconomic disadvantage show differences in brain structure and function, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in Alzheimer”s & Dementia: Behavior & Socioeconomics of Aging.

Sudarshan Krishnamurthy, from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and colleagues examined associations of the area deprivation index (ADI), social vulnerability index (SVI), and environmental justice index (EJI) with biomarkers of Alzheimer disease and related dementias. The analysis included 679 participants in the Healthy Brain Study.

The researchers found that place-based social determinants of health measures were higher in Black participants versus White participants. There was a relationship between higher SVI and EJI with higher cerebral blood flow variability in Black participants. Further, higher ADI was associated with lower mean cerebral blood flow, and higher ADI and SVI were associated with lower cortical thickness. 

“This study is one of the first to connect a variety of place-based social factors with advanced biological markers of dementia,” Krishnamurthy said in a statement. “It shows that the conditions and environment in which people live — such as access to clean air, safe housing, nutritious food and economic opportunity — may leave a lasting imprint on brain health.”

Abstract/Full Text