Skip to main contentCommentPublished: 06 April 2026Sara Palermo ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-1451-37931,2 Nature Human Behaviour (2026)Cite this articleSubjectsEconomicsPublic healthPopulation ageing is too often framed as decline. Drawing on neuroscience and behavioural science, this Comment calls for a shift from brain ageing to brain longevity and argues that brain capital should be treated as a policy and governance priority to support resilient institutions and sustainable economies.This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institutionAccess optionsAccess Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journalsGet Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription27,99 € / 30 dayscancel any timeLearn moreSubscribe to this journalReceive 12 digital issues and online access to articles118,99 € per yearonly 9,92 € per issueLearn moreBuy this articlePurchase on SpringerLinkInstant access to the full article PDF.39,95 €Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkoutReferencesMorese, R. & Palermo, S. Front. Aging Neurosci. 14, 896218 (2022).Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar Palermo, S. et al. Front. Psychol. 16, 1542880 (2025).Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar Jeste, D. V. & Lee, E. E. Harv. Rev. Psychiatry 27, 127–140 (2019).Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar Palermo, S. Ital. J. Educ. Technol. 30, 64–77 (2022).Google Scholar Jimenez, M. P. et al. JAMA Netw. Open 5, e229306 (2022).Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar Guiney, H., Keall, M. & Machado, L. Neuropsychol. Dev. Cogn. B. Aging Neuropsychol. Cogn. 28, 253269 (2021).Article Google Scholar Eyre, H. A. et al. Neuron 109, 1430–1432 (2021).Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar WHO. World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All (WHO, 2022).Palermo, S. Front. Psychol. 14, 1073632 (2023).Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar Occhipinti, J.-A. et al. Nat. Mental Health 1, 247–253 (2023).Article Google Scholar Download referencesAuthor informationAuthors and AffiliationsDepartment of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, ItalySara PalermoNeuroscience Institute of Turin (NIT), Turin, ItalySara PalermoAuthorsSara PalermoView author publicationsSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarCorresponding authorCorrespondence to Sara Palermo.Ethics declarationsRights and permissionsReprints and permissionsAbout this article