This month’s research roundup is a reminder that brain health doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s shaped by how we move, how we think, how we age at the cellular level, and even how we use technology. From the benefits of digital tools to what cold toes can tell us about your blood vessels, here’s what we’re learning about the mind-body connection, and what it might mean for your longevity strategy.
1. Cold Feet Could Signal Something Deeper Than You Think
If you’ve got chronically cold feet, you’ve probably brushed it off as a weird personal quirk, or maybe just bad circulation. But recent research suggests it could point to something more significant.
A study highlights that people who report cold hypersensitivity in their feet may have a 49% to 89% higher risk of developing varicose veins, a sign of underlying vascular dysfunction. While cold feet alone aren’t a diagnosis, they’re increasingly being seen as a proxy for compromised blood flow, which can have knock-on effects far beyond your extremities.
Your brain, for example, relies on healthy vascular function to maintain cognition. When blood vessels narrow, stiffen, or struggle to regulate flow, it can affect how efficiently your brain receives oxygen and nutrients, and how effectively it clears metabolic waste. Over time, this reduced circulation can contribute to mental fatigue, slower processing, and even neurodegenerative conditions.
Cold feet might be your body’s way of asking: is your circulation keeping up?
And the connection to ageing? Poor circulation is a hallmark of vascular ageing, which is itself a driver of cognitive decline. Monitoring signs like temperature sensitivity, sluggish healing, or leg swelling could offer an early window into vascular and brain health, making them signals worth listening to.
2. Technology Might Not Be Ruining Your Brain, It Might Be Helping
We’ve all heard the warnings: “Too much screen time is bad for your brain.” And in some ways, that’s true, scrolling endlessly without purpose or overstimulating your nervous system can absolutely wear you down. But a new meta-analysis of 57 studies, involving over 411,000 participants, paints a more nuanced picture.
That’s right. In many cases, using smartphones, tablets, and computers correlated with better memory retention and slower cognitive decline.
Why? Because the brain thrives on novelty, challenge, and connection. Whether it’s solving a new task in an app, navigating an online platform, or keeping in touch with family over video calls, technology, when used intentionally, offers the kind of cognitive engagement that can help preserve mental sharpness well into older age.
As we age, maintaining mental agility becomes crucial, and digital tools may act like exercise for the brain. Instead of fearing screens, this research suggests we should focus on how we use them. Curated digital engagement, from learning a language online to playing puzzle games or even staying socially active through messaging apps, can help maintain plasticity, attention, and memory.
3. Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Rewiring Possibility
In perhaps the most futuristic finding this month, a new brain-computer interface (BCI) developed by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh shows that paralysed users can now customise their own digital interfaces using only their thoughts.
This innovation allows people to personalise the speed, layout, and feedback of their assistive communication tools. No external input. Just the brain adapting and learning.
This is more than just a technical breakthrough. It’s a profound reminder that neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself, is not limited by age or physical condition. Even after spinal injury or years of paralysis, the brain remains capable of learning and integrating new patterns, especially when energy supply and metabolic health are supported.
The implications reach beyond paralysis. BCIs demonstrate how adaptable the human brain is, even under stress. This kind of research opens doors to future therapies for neurodegenerative disease, stroke rehabilitation, and cognitive support in ageing, where brain-computer collaboration could amplify mental resilience, restore lost function, or extend cognitive independence.
4. It’s Not Just About How Old You Are, It’s About How Fast You’re Ageing
Chronological age doesn’t always tell the full story. A large-scale study using UK Biobank data (280,000+ participants) found that biological age, a measure based on metabolic, immune, and cardiovascular markers, was more predictive of dementia risk than age alone.
Participants with an older biological age than their actual age showed brain changes such as reduced grey matter volume, which are closely linked to cognitive decline.
This confirms what longevity researchers have been suggesting for years: it’s not how many candles are on your birthday cake, it’s how your cells are functioning behind the scenes. And the good news? Biological age is modifiable. Through movement, nutrition, stress management, sleep, and smart supplementation, we can influence how we age, and possibly reduce the risk of age-related brain conditions.
We’re entering an era where tracking biological age, through blood tests, epigenetic clocks, or inflammation markers, could become as routine as monitoring cholesterol. It also reframes ageing as a dynamic process rather than a fixed trajectory. The earlier we identify signs of acceleration, the more power we have to slow it down.
One way researchers are exploring how to slow biological ageing and support brain function is through NAD⁺ restoration. NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) is a direct precursor to NAD⁺, a molecule essential for energy production, DNA repair, and cognitive performance that naturally declines with age.
Our Ageless NMN is formulated to help you maintain mental clarity, metabolic energy, and healthy ageing from the inside out. Ageless NMN is clean, bioavailable, and made to support your brain’s natural resilience over time.
