News•Jun 14, 2026
Researchers Discover that Brain Wave Patterns at Age Nine Can Predict Mood Disorders Years Later
Researchers at Beijing Normal University followed 64 children from age 7 to 13, using EEG and fMRI, and discovered that brain‑wave patterns at age nine can reliably forecast adolescent anxiety and depression. Machine‑learning models linked stronger alpha‑wave networks to future anxiety and beta‑wave networks to future depression, with right‑hemisphere signals predicting anxiety and left‑hemisphere signals predicting depression. The predictive signatures were reproduced in an independent cohort of 384 participants, confirming robustness. The study highlights age nine as a critical window for early mental‑health screening.
