The purpose of this Perspective is to propose a new, collaborative paradigm to study cognitive aging. The field of cognitive aging from the neuroscience perspective has focused on studying cognition over the life span from the “neck up,” while fields studying the biology of aging/age-related diseases, known collectively as geroscience, have focused from the “neck down.” However, it is abundantly clear that there is no discrete boundary at which the body ages independently of the brain, and the existing division between neuroscience and geroscience has led to an incomplete picture of the aging process. Processes affecting aging in one area often have profound effects in another, even when the timescales at which different organ systems age do not align perfectly. Thus, understanding the aging process by “reuniting the body” is an innovative approach and a new direction for both fields to conduct relevant research and translation toward improving the cognitive and physical health of older individuals.

Herein we discuss how this dissection does a disservice to both fields and how a merger between the two would powerfully enhance scientific knowledge to the benefit of the larger field of biomedical research (see Figure 1). We first address the dichotomy of individualized meetings and the reporting and publishing of data that maintains a physical separation preventing our sharing of scientific information and address the need for creating funding opportunities to meld these 2 fields. We then highlight areas of study where researchers are addressing this intersection to provide successful examples for moving forward. We conclude with a brief consideration of the historical usefulness of preclinical models that have dominated each of these fields to address cognitive aging. Finally, this perspective will set the stage for 2 additional papers, one each from neuroscience and geroscience thought leaders. The goal of these 2 “primer” papers is to provide an understanding of essential knowledge