Brain scans reveal which disorders are linked to faster brain aging
A study published in PLOS Medicine suggests that conditions like dementia, schizophrenia, and alcohol addiction are linked to accelerated brain aging. Researchers used MRI data to calculate a predictive age difference, finding that neurodegenerative disorders show the strongest association with older-appearing brains.
Why it matters
Understanding the biological markers of brain aging across different conditions could lead to earlier interventions and better diagnostic tools for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases.
People with dementia, mild cognitive impairment, alcohol addiction, and psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia may show signs of accelerated brain aging, according to a study published in the open access journal PLOS Medicine . The research, led by Shile Qi of the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China, found that different conditions appear to be associated with distinct patterns of aging across the brain.
Researchers can estimate whether a person's brain appears older or younger than expected for their chronological age. One way to do this is with predictive age difference (PAD), which compares a person's actual age with an age estimated from brain imaging. A positive PAD means the brain appears older than would typically be expected.
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