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Researchers from the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative participated in the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2026, held in London from 12 to 16 July, where they presented five studies on dementia prevention, cognitive ageing and brain resilience.

Drawing on BBHI data, the studies examine several factors that may help explain why some people maintain better brain health throughout life and how earlier, more personalised prevention strategies can be designed.

Maria Ortuño Saavedra presented Latent Lifestyle-Psychological Profiles Enable Precision Prevention of Brain Health Decline. The study first identified three risk profiles among cognitively healthy individuals based on lifestyle habits and psychological factors. Using this classification, the researchers designed a personalised digital intervention through the Brain Health Coaching App, offering different levels of support to improve adherence to healthy habits. The findings suggest that tailoring interventions to individual needs may help improve dementia prevention strategies.

Simon Fankhauser presented Multidomain Cognitive Phenotypes Differ in Level, Not in Decline, which explores how cognitive functions change throughout adulthood and why cognitive ageing varies from one person to another. The results indicate that, among healthy adults, cognitive profiles differ mainly in their overall level rather than in their rate of decline and therefore tend to remain relatively stable over time. This finding highlights the importance of studying the experiences, habits and health factors that contribute to developing and maintaining cognitive reserve throughout adulthood.

Simon Fankhauser also presented Learning from Retest: Memory Practice Effects and Longitudinal Cognitive Change. The study is based on the idea that repeating memory tests can influence the results, as participants may improve simply because they have taken the test before rather than because their memory performance has actually improved. Although this has traditionally been considered a methodological limitation, the study shows that it can also provide valuable information: individuals who improved the most following the first repeated assessments tended to maintain more stable cognitive performance between 2018 and 2025. The ability to learn from experience could therefore become an early indicator of cognitive resilience and brain health.

Oriol Perera, a member of the research group led by David Bartrés-Faz at the University of Barcelona, presented Associations between Psychological Factors and Lifestyle Changes for Dementia Risk. The study jointly analysed changes in psychological factors—such as worry, rumination and purpose in life—and habits related to physical activity, diet and smoking. The results show that more balanced psychological profiles are associated with healthier lifestyles. Understanding this interaction may help identify individuals who could particularly benefit from personalised preventive interventions before risk factors accumulate.

Finally, Rachel Morse, from the University of Barcelona, presented Machine Learning Classification of Superagers Using Structural Connectivity, Functional Connectivity and Structure-Function Coupling, focusing on so-called superagers: older adults whose memory remains comparable to that of much younger people. The researchers found that the relationship between the brain’s physical structure and its function can identify these individuals more accurately than analysing the two dimensions separately. This coordination, known as structure-function coupling, is also associated with better episodic memory and could become a promising marker of cognitive resilience.

BBHI’s participation in AAIC 2026 strengthens its contribution to international knowledge about the factors that protect brain health. It also highlights the value of the longitudinal follow-up of its volunteer cohort, which is essential for understanding how cognition, habits and psychological well-being evolve over time.