THE human brain may begin to get old from age 25, which is much earlier than previously thought, a study has found.

The discovery came to light during the development of a new method of investigating brain function which has revealed when the brain starts to deteriorate.

The research team from Lancaster University and Medical University of Gdansk, in Poland, believe their new non-invasive technique could lead to better diagnosis of neurodegenerative and ageing related diseases.

Researchers were able to decipher oscillations in the cerebrospinal fluid which lies between the scalp and skull using a newly developed device.

It has been shown the circulation throughout the brain of this fluid fluctuates, and these fluctuations are slow but interconnected by the rhythms of breathing and the heart rate.

The oscillations are also linked with blood pressure, but are generally slower and occur at lower frequencies, which have previously been shown to be linked to vascular motion and blood oxygenation.

Professor Aneta Stefanovska from Lancaster University said: “Preliminary results showed evidence of a decline in the coherence between the oscillations in participants over the age of 25, indicating that brain ageing may begin earlier than expected.”