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Brain Health Score

Twelve factors you can actually change, scored out of 21 — adapted from the McCance Center’s Brain Care Score.

Blood pressure Physical
Blood sugar (HbA1c) Physical
Cholesterol Physical
Body mass index Physical
Nutrition Lifestyle
Alcohol Lifestyle
Smoking Lifestyle
Aerobic activity Lifestyle
Sleep Lifestyle
Stress Social & emotional
Relationships Social & emotional
Sense of purpose Social & emotional

What this score is

The Brain Care Score was developed by the McCance Center for Brain Health at Mass General Brigham to make brain health actionable. Rather than the unmodifiable things — age, genetics — it counts only the twelve factors you can do something about, and weights them by the strength of the evidence behind each.

It matters because stroke, dementia and late-life depression share most of their risk factors. The Lancet Commission on dementia estimates that around 45% of dementia cases worldwide are associated with modifiable factors. That is not a promise of prevention, but it is a very large share of risk sitting in things that respond to ordinary decisions.

The single most useful thing on this page is probably the four physical numbers. Blood pressure, HbA1c, cholesterol and BMI account for eight of the 21 points, they are measured in one routine appointment, and high blood pressure in midlife is among the most consistently identified modifiable risks for later dementia. If you scored zero on those because you do not know them, that is the place to start.

What it is not

It is not a diagnosis, a prediction, or a substitute for clinical assessment. It reports population-level associations: across large groups, higher scores track with lower rates of these conditions. Any individual can do everything right and still develop dementia, and plenty of people with low scores never will.

It also cannot see everything that matters. Hearing loss, air pollution, head injury, education and social deprivation all appear in the Lancet Commission's list and none are in these twelve questions. Treat the score as a structured prompt about the factors with the best evidence, not a complete picture of your brain.

If you are worried about your memory right now, a score on a website is not the right tool. Memory changes that interfere with daily life — missing appointments, struggling with familiar tasks, word-finding that others notice — are worth raising with a doctor, and some causes are treatable. Concern about your own memory is a good enough reason to ask.

Questions

Is this the official Brain Care Score?

No. It is an adaptation for self-assessment, built on the same twelve factors and 21-point structure published by the McCance Center for Brain Health at Mass General Brigham. The official version is administered with real clinical values for blood pressure, HbA1c and cholesterol. Use ours to see where your headroom is, and the official one with your doctor.

What if I don't know my blood pressure or cholesterol?

Answer honestly — "I don't know" scores zero here, which is deliberate. Four of the twelve factors are numbers only a clinician can give you, and not knowing them is itself worth acting on. A basic check covers all four and is the single highest-value step for most people scoring low on the physical section.

Does a higher score guarantee anything?

No. The research reports an association across large populations, not a promise for any individual — people with high scores still develop dementia and stroke, and people with low scores often do not. What the evidence supports is direction: improving modifiable factors shifts the odds, and the factors here are the ones with the strongest evidence behind them.

References

  1. McCance Center for Brain Health, Mass General Brigham — the Brain Care Score
  2. Official Brain Care Score scoring sheet (PDF)
  3. Singh SD et al. — Brain Care Score and incident dementia and stroke, Frontiers in Neurology / Neurology Open Access
  4. Harvard Health — How well do you score on brain health?
  5. Livingston G et al. — Dementia prevention, intervention, and care, Lancet Commission

Reviewed September 2026. VitalTally calculators are informational and are not medical advice.