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SOLNA, Sweden — Want to keep your brain young? Take care of your blood vessels. That’s the dementia-preventing conclusion of new research from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet. Using artificial intelligence to analyze brain scans, scientists have discovered that conditions affecting vascular health — like diabetes and inflammation — can make your brain appear years older than your actual age.
In a comprehensive study of 739 healthy 70-year-olds, researchers used an innovative AI algorithm to estimate each participant’s “brain age” from MRI scans. Think of it like facial recognition software, but instead of guessing your age from your face, it determines how old your brain looks based on its structure and characteristics.
“Despite the recent introduction of new Alzheimer’s drugs, they will not work for everyone with dementia, so we want to study what can boost the brain’s resilience against pathological aging processes,” explains study lead author Anna Marseglia in a media release.
The findings reveal that certain health conditions can accelerate brain aging. Diabetes, previous strokes, and diseases affecting the brain’s small blood vessels were all linked to brains that appeared older than the person’s actual age. Inflammation, which can be thought of as the body’s internal fire alarm system staying on too long, also contributes to premature brain aging.
But it’s not all bad news. The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, found that regular exercise was associated with younger-looking brains.
“A take-home from the study is that factors that adversely affect the blood vessels can also be related to older-looking brains, which shows how important it is to keep your blood vessels healthy, to protect your brain, by making sure, for instance, that your blood glucose level is kept stable,” Marseglia notes.
The research team, which examined roughly equal numbers of men and women (389 females in the group), discovered intriguing differences between the sexes in terms of what makes their brains appear younger or older. These differences were significant enough that the team is planning future research specifically focused on gender-based factors, including both biological elements like hormones and societal influences.
The AI tool used in the study showed remarkable consistency, estimating the average brain age of participants to be 71 years — remarkably close to their actual age of 70. While the technology is currently limited to research, Professor Eric Westman, who was the study’s principal investigator, hopes it will eventually become a clinical tool to help diagnose and treat dementia.
The findings are particularly relevant in Sweden, where over 20,000 people develop dementia annually. By identifying factors that influence brain aging, researchers hope to develop more effective strategies for preventing cognitive decline and maintaining brain health throughout life.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The study explored how brain age gap (BAG) — a measure of brain resilience — varies with life experiences, health status, and cognitive functions in 739 seventy-year-olds. BAG is calculated by comparing predicted brain age from actual age. Researchers collected data through brain scans, blood tests, and cognitive performance tests. They used advanced statistical models to see how different factors like physical health, lifestyle choices, and biological processes are connected to BAG.
Key Results
The findings showed that people with physically inactive lifestyles, diabetes, or a history of stroke had brains that appeared older than their actual age. Interestingly, prediabetes was linked to younger-looking brains. The study also noted that regular physical activity might help reduce the brain aging effects of obesity. Additionally, brain scans showed that more significant signs of small vessel disease and changes in white matter were associated with older-looking brains.
Study Limitations
The participant group was limited to 70-year-olds from a specific region, which might not represent other age groups or global populations. Additionally, while the study used robust methods to analyze the data, the results are observational and cannot establish cause-and-effect relationships. It’s also worth noting that not all participants consented to provide cerebrospinal fluid, which could have enriched the study’s findings on brain health biomarkers.
Discussion & Takeaways
This study highlights the importance of lifestyle factors, like physical activity, in maintaining brain health and potentially slowing the aging process. It also underscores the impact of diabetes and stroke on brain aging. These insights suggest that interventions aimed at improving lifestyle habits and managing health conditions could be beneficial for brain resilience. Moreover, understanding the biological mechanisms underlying these associations could pave the way for new prevention strategies against cognitive decline.
Funding & Disclosures
This study received comprehensive financial support from numerous foundations and research councils. The Centre for Innovative Medicine, Forte, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Brain Foundation, and the Swedish Alzheimer’s Foundation were primary contributors. Additional support came from the Swedish Dementia Foundations, the David and Astrid Hagelén Foundation, StratNeuro, the Foundation for Geriatric Diseases at Karolinska Institutet, the Loo and Hans Osterman Foundation for Medical Research, the Gamla Tjänarinnor Foundation, and the Collaboratory on Research Definitions for Reserve and Resilience in Cognitive Aging and Dementia.
Regarding conflicts of interest, no researchers affiliated with Karolinska Institutet have reported any conflicts. However, co-author Silke Kern has disclosed associations with several pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, including Roche, Geras Solutions, Optoceutics, Eli Lilly, Biogen, and Bioarctic.
