TL;DR
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Muse Brain Age launches October 19, 2026
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Brings the same idea behind body-age tracking to the brain, so you can see whether it's tracking younger than, aligned with, or older than your age.
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Measured directly from EEG, read from your brain's own electrical activity
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Draws on two things: the brain activity recorded during your regular Muse sessions, and four short cognitive tests you complete once
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Updates every Monday, built on peer-reviewed research
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First reading free on any Muse headband; future readings are part of Muse Premium
Muse Brain Age is a general wellness feature. Muse is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition, including cognitive decline or dementia.
The age of age-telling
By now, tracking an "age" that isn't your actual age is familiar. A ring counts your heart rate. A bed watches how you sleep. Run those numbers through a model, and you get a body age, a sleep age, each one a guess about how your body is holding up compared to the years on your ID.
Muse Brain Age brings that same idea to your brain: built on EEG, sensors that read your brain's electrical activity directly, and grounded in peer-reviewed research.
Why does brain health need its own tracking?
Your brain doesn't age on the same schedule as your body, while most of what shapes your brain over the years happens quietly. You don't feel it slipping the way you'd feel a knee acting up or a resting heart rate creeping higher. By the time something is obvious enough to notice on your own, there's usually nothing left to compare it to.
People track resting heart rate and sleep consistency for the same reason, even when nothing's wrong: a number today is what makes a number next year mean anything.
<long-term-perspective>
"Brains do not age on a schedule. Two people at fifty can have brains that look years apart, and neither of them would know it," said Nadia Kumentas, Chief Marketing Officer at Muse
"Everyone accepts that bodies change with age, which is why strength and cardiovascular fitness get tracked more closely over time. The brain deserves the same attention, and Brain Age makes it something people can actually watch."
</long-term-perspective>
What is Muse Brain Age?
Muse Brain Age is a measure of how your brain is aging, shown as whether it's tracking younger than, aligned with, or older than your actual age. It's a difference in years, never an absolute number.
Unlike everything else Muse tracks session by session, Brain Age takes the long view. It updates once a week, every Monday morning, so a single rough night or a stressful day doesn't move it the way it would a daily score.
How does Muse measure brain age?
Two things go into every reading: the EEG recorded during your regular Muse sessions, and four short cognitive tests you complete once to unlock your first score.
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Contributor |
What it reads |
How you complete it |
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Daytime EEG |
Your brain's electrical activity, read directly during eyes-closed sessions |
Mind, Body, Breath, Heart, or Guided sessions. Can be combined, each one at least 2 minutes, adding up to 10 minutes a day |
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Cognitive Performance |
Four short cognitive tests: processing speed, spatial memory, impulse control, and selective attention |
Completed once, to unlock your first reading |
If your Brain Age shifts, you'll see exactly what moved it: your brain activity, your test performance, or both.
What does your Brain Age tell you?
Muse Brain Age works as a trend, the same way resting heart rate or sleep consistency do: useful to watch over time, not something to chase week to week.
If your reading shifts, you'll know whether it moved because of your brain activity, your test performance, or both, so you're looking at real information rather than a single unexplained number.
<long-term-perspective>
Muse doesn't claim that practicing changes your Brain Age. However, your Cognitive Performance scores can improve with practice, which is why they're shown separately from your EEG reading, so you can see what moved and why.
</long-term-perspective>
How accurate is Muse Brain Age?
Muse Brain Age is built on a 2024 peer-reviewed study in Imaging Neuroscience (Banville et al., 2024), using more than 5,200 at-home Muse recordings, ages 18 to 81. The study found brain age could be estimated from consumer EEG within the range reported for lab-grade equipment.
The Brain Age in the Muse app is Muse's own model, built on that foundation. On average, estimates land within about 3.8 years of chronological age.
Muse Brain Age is an estimate. One reading reflects how you've been doing lately as well as how your brain is aging, which is why a run of readings over time says more than any single one.
It isn't a medical test and doesn't diagnose or predict any condition.
How does Muse Brain Age compare with other brain age metrics?
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Muse Brain Age |
Neurable Brain Age |
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Signal source |
EEG, read during dedicated eyes-closed sessions |
EEG, read passively throughout the day via sensors in the earcups |
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Inputs |
EEG, plus Four cognitive tests: processing speed, spatial memory, impulse control, selective attention |
Not disclosed |
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Device required |
Your existing Muse 2, Muse S, or Muse S Athena |
The new MW75 Neuro LT headphones, $499 |
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Published methodology |
Built on a 2024 peer-reviewed study in Imaging Neuroscience |
Not published |
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Disclosed validation data |
5,200+ at-home recordings, ages 18 to 81 |
Not disclosed |
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Update cadence |
Weekly |
Weekly |
Why does my brain age change week to week?
A single session can swing by years, depending on how rested or stressed you were. That's expected, and it's why Muse Brain Age isn't a per-session number. A weekly reading is far steadier, where readings typically move about 1.9 years from week to week.
After your first reading, keeping your score current takes 3 qualifying days a week. If you go a while without practicing, your reading goes out of date instead, and picking sessions back up brings it current again.
How do I get my first Brain Age reading?
To unlock your first Brain Age, you need 10 qualifying minutes on 7 different days (they don't have to be in a row), plus all four cognitive tests. Once you've completed your 7th day, your first reading arrives on the following Monday. After that, 3 qualifying days a week keeps it current.
Your first reading is free. Unlock future readings with a Premium subscription.
When does Muse Brain Age launch and where can I get it?
Your brain has been aging the whole time. Muse Brain Age gives you a way to actually watch it: measured directly from EEG, grounded in peer-reviewed research, read the same way every Monday.
Muse Brain Age launches October 19, 2026. Your first reading is free on any Muse headband: Muse 2, Muse S, and Muse S Athena. Do your sessions on 7 days, complete the four tests, and your first reading lands the Monday after.
Get Premium for future Brain Age readings
FAQs
Which Muse headbands support Brain Age?
Muse Brain Age is available on Muse 2, Muse S, and Muse S Athena. Your first reading is free on any of them. Weekly readings, full history, and trend view are part of Muse Premium.
How accurate is Muse Brain Age?
On average, estimates land within about 3.8 years of chronological age. It is an estimate. One reading reflects how you've been doing lately as well as how your brain is aging, so a run of readings says more than any single one.
Can I change my Brain Age?
Muse doesn't claim that practice changes your Brain Age. Your Cognitive Performance test scores can improve with practice, and they're shown separately from your EEG reading so you can see what moved.
Does Brain Age diagnose or detect cognitive decline?
No. Muse Brain Age is a general wellness feature. Muse is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or condition, including cognitive decline or dementia.
What happens if I stop doing sessions?
After your first reading, 3 qualifying days a week keeps it current. If you go a while without sessions, your reading goes out of date and doesn't drop or reset. Picking sessions back up brings it current again.
Is Muse Brain Age free?
Your first reading is free on any Muse headband. Future weekly readings, full history, and trend view come with Muse Premium.
Why does it take time to get my first reading?
Your first reading needs a Calibration Phase: 10 qualifying minutes on 7 different days, plus four short cognitive tests completed once. That gives the model enough of your brain activity to produce a reading you can trust, instead of a fast number from a single session.
How does Muse Brain Age compare to other "age" metrics?
Most wearable age metrics estimate how your body is aging, from signals like heart rate or sleep. Muse Brain Age reads the brain directly, through EEG recorded during sessions on your existing Muse headband.
Does Muse Brain Age replace the metrics from my ring or watch?
No. Your ring or watch already tells you how your body is doing: heart rate, sleep, recovery. Muse Brain Age tells you how your brain is doing. They're different purposes, both worth tracking, and Brain Age fills in the one part they can't reach.
Is Muse Brain Age backed by science?
Muse Brain Age is built on a 2024 peer-reviewed study in Imaging Neuroscience (Banville et al., 2024), using more than 5,200 at-home Muse recordings, which found brain age could be estimated from consumer EEG within the range reported for lab-grade equipment. The Brain Age in the Muse app is Muse's own model, built on that foundation.
