Decades after 9/11, toxic dust and PTSD may be accelerating brain aging among first responders

Research on World Trade Center first responders finds that PTSD and prolonged exposure to neurotoxic dust at ground zero are associated with faster brain aging and higher dementia risk. Around 23% of responders have been diagnosed with PTSD, compared with roughly 6% of the general population, and a study of over 5,000 responders found 228 developed dementia before age 65 between 2014 and 2022.

MRI-based brain-age modeling found responders with PTSD had brains that appeared about three years older than their chronological age, with each additional month spent at ground zero linked to four to five months of extra apparent aging. The researchers say the effects on first responders' mental and physical health remain ongoing and require sustained support decades after the attacks.

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