Here’s What We Learned About Brain Health and Alzheimer’s This Year

Considering the fact that Alzheimer’s disproportionately impacts women, it’s no surprise that here at Flow Space brain health and cognitive decline are major coverage areas.

While that sobering fact is upsetting, know that like years past, 2025 brought more insights about how to decrease the risk of cognitive decline and strengthen brain health.

Here at Flow Space, we covered interesting studies, interviewed experts and got some fun ideas to improve brain health from public figures. Here’s a cheat sheet for what we learned about Alzheimer’s and brain health in 2025.

The Surprising Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s All Menopausal Women Need to Know

We know that stress can negatively impact many major organs, including the brain. One study published in April in the Alzheimer’s and Dementia journal connected high stress levels with increased Alzheimer’s risk in postmenopausal women. Researchers linked chronically high levels of the stress hormone cortisol in midlife to increased risk.

“We hypothesize that this is due to the decline of estrogen after menopause, which removes a layer of neuroprotection and makes the brain more vulnerable to cortisol’s effects,” Dr. Arash Salardini, associate professor of cognitive and behavioral neurology with the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and lead author of the study, told Flow Space. “The same pattern was not observed in men, suggesting that hormonal changes may play a key role in amplifying stress-related risk in women.”

But the good news is that this research identifies yet another modifiable risk factor.

Read our full coverage of this story here.

How Migraine Symptoms Differ Between Men and Women

People who get migraines know they can be debilitating and also may know that as many as 85% of people who suffer from chronic migraines are women. And yet, experts told Flow Space that women have too often been left out of migraine research despite the fact that migraine symptoms in women differ from those in men.

For example, migraines in women seem to be tied to hormonal fluctuations and migraines that include sensory symptoms like blurred vision or tingling are more commonly reported in women. Read on to learn more about how migraines impact women specifcially.

Read our full coverage of this story here.

A Groundbreaking Alzheimer’s Blood Test Is Now FDA-Approved

In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted expedited approval for a blood test that can predict whether someone receives an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Study results found that the blood test was 97.3% accurate not just in detecting Alzheimer’s, but also in ruling it out—and it can be administered right in your doctor’s office.

The Lumipulse G pTau217/ß-Amyloid 1-42 Plasma Ratio screens for two proteins that indicate the presence of protein deposits that cause cognitive damage and whose buildup can signal cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s.

Read our full coverage of this story here.

All That Multitasking Is Breaking Your Brain. Here’s How to Stop

It may seem like you’re accomplishing more when you multitask, but experts told Flow Space that research actually says the opposite: it’s not great for the brain.

While some multitasking may be necessary, Nina DiTommaso, regional clinical director for Tennessee at LifeStance Health, told Flow Space that chronic multitasking actually increases stress and can lead to poor emotional regulation. She added that “neurologically, multitasking is associated with increased cognitive load and decreased efficiency.” Read more for a deeper dive into why it’s time to stop doing this (if you can).

Read our full coverage of this story here.

How AI Could Change the Way Doctors Diagnose and Treat Dementia

Much has been made about the potential for AI to be helpful in the health space. While it’s still in the early stages, experts told Flow Space that AI advances could change how doctors treat and diagnose dementia.

One way AI is currently being used is to analyze test results and medical records for dementia risk factors. Gopi Battineni, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Camerino in Italy, told Flow Space that he’s “confident that this will allow for earlier intervention and more tailored care.”

Read our full coverage of this story here.

Amy Sedaris’ Brain Health Advice Is the Antidote to Boring Wellness Rules

If Sudoku and crossword puzzles make your eyes glaze over, why not take a page from Amy Sedaris‘ book?

The actress, comedian and writer told Flow Space that she keeps her brain sharp by maintaining a constant sense of curiosity and playfulness, which she exercises through feeding her imagination with games, social connections, crafting and more.

Read our full coverage of this story here.

5 Simple But Powerful Ways to Protect Your Brain for the Future

We’re always looking for ways to improve brain health, so we jumped at the chance to sit down with Dr. Kellyann Niotis, a board-certified neurologist who specializes in risk reduction strategies for conditions like Alzheimer’s, and ask her for her best tips.

Her suggestions are habit changes that can have major impacts on your brain as it ages. Her tips include making daily movement a priority and keeping tabs on biomarkers like cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Brainspan Is the Next Big Thing in Longevity Science

You’ve heard of lifespan and healthspan, but how about brainspan? Flow Space predicted that in the next year, cognitive health and dementia planning will increasingly become a priority women start to tackle in their 40s and 50s rather than in their 60s and 70s.

This builds on a trend Flow Space covered back in August: optimizing cognitive health seems to be the next frontier in the longevity space. Brainspan means the number of years someone maintains strong cognitive function. Experts told Flow Space that brainspan is becoming an increasing concern as people live longer.

Read our full coverage of this story here.

Worried About Dementia? The New Tests to Talk About with Your Doctor

Luckily, there are more tools than ever before to assess and predict cognitive decline.

This year, Flow Space took stock of the latest available tests and tools, which include AI screenings and blood tests.

Read our full coverage of this story here.

Processed Red Meat May Be Accelerating Dementia Cases

A growing body of research finds that diet impacts cognitive health (see: the brain health-boosting MIND diet). In January, a study published in the American Academy of Neurology’s journal highlighted a correlation between eating processed red meat like hot dogs, sausages, bacon and salami with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia and faster brain aging.

Researchers posited that the link comes from the high saturated fat content of processed red meats.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t eat a bacon egg and cheese again: rather, it’s more information that allows you to make proactive choices to benefit your brain.

Read our full coverage of this story here.

What Midlife Women Need to Know About Brain Aneurysms

Kim Kardashian made news this year when she announced that a brain scan had revealed an unruptured brain aneurysm, a weak point in a brain’s artery that can fill with blood. Kardashian’s revelation spotlighted on a sobering fact: brain aneurysms are most common in people 35-60 and more common in women than in men.

For many people, these masses don’t pose a problem; but they can grow over time and rupture, which is extremely dangerous. Flow Space spoke with experts about what midlife women need to know about brain aneurysms.

Read our full coverage of this story here.

‘My Mother’s Best Recipes Didn’t Taste the Same’: How Babs Costello Knew Her Mother Had Alzheimer’s

Social media cooking personality Barbara “Babs” Costello has charmed her millions of TikTok followers with her homey recipes, many of which she inherited from her mother. It was noticing her mother’s changed cooking habits—a not so closely followed recipe here, a subtle personality change there—that alerted her and her sister to her mom’s cognitive decline.

“One year around the holidays, when she was in her late 70s, there was something radically wrong with my mother’s cookies that she made every single year,” Costello told Flow Space. “My sister, who lived close to her in the Chicago area, went over to taste them and knew something wasn’t right. They came out hard like rocks, and it was evident that the recipe wasn’t properly followed…The cookies were really the clincher that we had to have my mom evaluated for dementia.”

Read our full coverage of this story here.