A new study by researchers at University College London has found that adults who experienced long-term financial hardship show poorer cognitive performance and signs of faster brain ageing in later life. The findings add to growing evidence that economic circumstances over a lifetime can have a measurable impact on brain health, highlighting income inequality as a potential public health concern alongside its known social and economic effects.

The research examined 2,759 UK participants from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, a cohort of people born in 1946. Those who reported persistent financial hardship or sustained low income performed worse on cognitive tests measuring verbal memory and processing speed compared with peers who had not faced such difficulties, suggesting a cumulative link between prolonged economic strain and brain ageing.