“One Size Fits One”: The Importance of Getting a Brain Health Baseline

People often take for granted screening tests like colonoscopies, mammograms, prostate exams, pap smears, and bone density scans. But there’s a notable and important omission from that list: any screening for the health of your brain and cognitive function, especially as you age.

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Cognitive function changes with age, in measurable ways, and “averages” have been tabulated for performance according to age in various age groups. But some people do worse than the average and others do better than the average person. 

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Think of it this way: when it comes to cognitive aging, it is less “one size fits all” than “one size fits one.” A brain health baseline will allow your cognitive performance in later years to be compared to your earlier ability. 

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A brain health baseline is based on a comprehensive evaluation that measures numerous aspects of a person’s neurological status, including thinking ability and mood, at a given point in time. This baseline evaluation then constitutes a benchmark against which future evaluations can be compared to detect changes that may occur over time. 

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The baseline evaluation can be used as a reference point to identify early signs of cognitive impairment, dementia, or other neurological conditions that occur later in life. It can also help assess the impact of cognitive risk factors on brain health over time. 

Who should get a brain health baseline?

Everyone! 

In all seriousness, while everyone could indeed benefit from a brain health baseline, establishing that baseline becomes even more important for certain groups of people. 

Anyone who . . .

• has reached middle age or later will benefit from getting a brain health baseline. The goal is to detect cognitive changes as early as possible. This is especially important because there are now more ways, both with and without medication, to support people with cognitive decline and dementia in living their best possible lives. 

• has a family history of a dementing disease like Alzheimer's disease. For individuals who are at increased genetic risk because of family history, frequent evaluations are necessary so that treatment can begin as soon as possible after diagnosis. 

• has a personal history of a head injury, stroke, or other neurological condition. The baseline can help track recovery and identify persistent deficits in individuals with this history.

• works in a high-risk occupation. Occupations like military service or professional sports like football (American or otherwise) increase the risk of head injury. Other occupations with high safety requirements, like being an airline pilot, may require periodic testing, including baseline.

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Brain health baselines are becoming more common and have been the focus of extensive research efforts, such as the Healthy Brain Initiative and the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative. These initiatives hope to understand and promote brain health as widely as possible.^1,2

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How to get your own brain health baseline

Sunday Health is accepting new patients on Medicare Part B residing in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. To learn more, click here to schedule an introductory call with our care navigator or call (571) 517-1564.

Do you have another question that the Sunday Health brain health experts can answer? We invite you to send your questions to hello@sundayhealth.com.

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Sources:

1. Besser LM, Chrisphonte S, Kleiman MJ, O'Shea D, Rosenfeld A, Tolea M, Galvin JE. The Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI): A prospective cohort study protocol. PLoS One. 2023 Oct 27;18(10):e0293634.
2. Cattaneo G, Bartrés-Faz D, Morris TP, Solana Sánchez J, Macià D, Tormos JM, Pascual-Leone A. The Barcelona Brain Health Initiative: Cohort description and first follow-up. PLoS One. 2020 Feb 11;15(2):e0228754.