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Al-Naggar IM, Campellone KG, Espinoza SE, Justice JN, Orr ME, Kozikowski C, van der Willik O, Thatcher C, Schmader K, Pignolo RJ, Newman JC, Kuchel GA. Bringing Geroscience into the Mainstream: From Education to Clinical Practice, What Will It Take? J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2024; 79:glae020. [PMID: 39126344 PMCID: PMC11316222 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glae020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Iman M Al-Naggar
- Center on Aging, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
- Departments of Cell Biology and Surgery, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Kenneth G Campellone
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sara E Espinoza
- Department of Medicine, Center for Geroscience, Diabetes and Aging Center, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jamie N Justice
- Department of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- XPRIZE Foundation, Culver City, California, USA
| | - Miranda E Orr
- Department of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chester Kozikowski
- Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | | | | | - Kenneth Schmader
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Robert J Pignolo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - John C Newman
- Department of Medicine, University of California in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, California, USA
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Widom CS, Do H(H, Miller QC, Javakhishvili M, Eckstein Indik C, Belsky DW. Childhood Maltreatment and Biological Aging in Middle Adulthood: The Role of Psychiatric Symptoms. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 4:100341. [PMID: 39040430 PMCID: PMC11260844 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Childhood maltreatment and psychiatric morbidity have each been associated with accelerated biological aging primarily through cross-sectional studies. Using data from a prospective longitudinal study of individuals with histories of childhood maltreatment and control participants followed into midlife, we tested 2 hypotheses examining whether 1) psychiatric symptoms mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and biological aging and 2) psychiatric symptoms of anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) act in conjunction with childhood maltreatment to exacerbate the association of child maltreatment to aging. Methods Children (ages 0-11 years) with documented histories of maltreatment and demographically matched control children were followed into adulthood (N = 607) and interviewed over several waves of the study. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms were assessed at mean ages of 29 (interview 1) and 40 (interview 2) years. Biological age was measured from blood chemistries collected later (mean age = 41 years) using the Klemera-Doubal method. Hypotheses were tested using linear regressions and path analyses. Results Adults with documented histories of childhood maltreatment showed more symptoms of depression, PTSD, and anxiety at both interviews and more advanced biological aging, compared with control participants. PTSD symptoms at both interviews and depression and anxiety symptoms only at interview 2 predicted accelerated biological aging. There was no evidence of mediation; however, anxiety and depression moderated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and biological aging. Conclusions These new findings reveal the shorter- and longer-term longitudinal impact of PTSD on biological aging and the amplifying effect of anxiety and depression on the relationship between child maltreatment and biological aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathy Spatz Widom
- Psychology Department, John Jay College, City University of New York, New York, New York
- Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, New York
| | - Hang (Heather) Do
- Psychology Department, John Jay College, City University of New York, New York, New York
| | - Quincy C. Miller
- Psychology Department, John Jay College, City University of New York, New York, New York
| | - Magda Javakhishvili
- Psychology Department, John Jay College, City University of New York, New York, New York
| | - Claire Eckstein Indik
- Department of Epidemiology and Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Daniel W. Belsky
- Department of Epidemiology and Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
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Forman DE, Pignolo RJ. A Pragmatic Approach to Introducing Translational Geroscience Into the Clinic: A Paradigm Based on the Incremental Progression of Aging-Related Clinical Research. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2024; 79:glae062. [PMID: 39126296 PMCID: PMC11316203 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glae062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Geroscience posits that molecular drivers underlie the aging process. Gerotherapeutics entail strategies to counter molecular drivers of aging to reduce the chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes they trigger. Although the concept of gerotherapeutics for prevention has generated much excitement, the implications of prescribing potentially harmful medications to older adults who are "healthy" have been associated with many delays. Concerns regarding safety and valid endpoints have contributed to holdups. In contrast, it has been relatively easier to implement trials of medications with gerotherapeutic properties as novel approaches to remedy disease. In these applications, the risks of the medications are easier to justify when therapeutic benefits are perceived as outweighing the harms of the disease. Likewise, metrics of effective disease treatments are often seen as more reliable and quantifiable than metrics of health prolongation. Overall, clarifying geroscience mechanisms in disease therapeutic applications provides key opportunities to advance translational geroscience, especially as preventive geroscience trials are often encumbered. In this review, gerotherapeutic benefits of canakinumab, cholchicine, and zoledronic acid as parts of disease management are considered. Longevity Clinics and other opportunities to advance translational geroscience as parts of contemporary care are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Forman
- Department of Medicine, Geriatrics and Cardiology, University of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Geriatrics, Research, and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Robert J Pignolo
- Department of Medicine (Divisions of Hospital Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, and Section on Geriatric Medicine & Gerontology), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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Gellert P, Alonso-Perez E. Psychosocial and biological pathways to aging : The role(s) of the behavioral and social sciences in geroscience. Z Gerontol Geriatr 2024; 57:365-370. [PMID: 38985210 PMCID: PMC11315799 DOI: 10.1007/s00391-024-02324-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
While the biological hallmarks of aging are widely recognized as fundamental mechanisms of biological aging, more recently, there have been calls within geroscience to understand the aging process more comprehensively by adding a perspective of the social hallmarks of aging. Social and behavioral factors, such as socioeconomic status, life events or behavior and beliefs can alter the aging process per se and act in complex interactions with biological pathways. In addition, underlying biological pathways have been proposed for various psychosocial concepts, such as views on age and relationship quality. The aim of the present article is to provide narrative insights into theoretical and empirical developments between social and behavioral gerontology and geroscience or biogerontology. This article focuses on the potential of an interdisciplinary aging research but it also sets out the critical perspective that social gerontology provides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Gellert
- Institut für Medizinische Soziologie und Rehabilitationswissenschaft, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
- Einstein Center Population Diversity, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Enrique Alonso-Perez
- Institut für Medizinische Soziologie und Rehabilitationswissenschaft, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Einstein Center Population Diversity, Berlin, Germany
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Collinge CW, Razzoli M, Mansk R, McGonigle S, Lamming DW, Pacak CA, van der Pluijm I, Niedernhofer L, Bartolomucci A. The mouse Social Frailty Index (mSFI): a novel behavioral assessment for impaired social functioning in aging mice. GeroScience 2024:10.1007/s11357-024-01263-4. [PMID: 38987495 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01263-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Various approaches exist to quantify the aging process and estimate biological age on an individual level. Frailty indices based on an age-related accumulation of physical deficits have been developed for human use and translated into mouse models. However, declines observed in aging are not limited to physical functioning but also involve social capabilities. The concept of "social frailty" has been recently introduced into human literature, but no index of social frailty exists for laboratory mice yet. To fill this gap, we developed a mouse Social Frailty Index (mSFI) consisting of seven distinct assays designed to quantify social functioning which is relatively simple to execute and is minimally invasive. Application of the mSFI in group-housed male C57BL/6 mice demonstrated a progressively elevated levels of social frailty through the lifespan. Conversely, group-housed females C57BL/6 mice manifested social frailty only at a very old age. Female mice also showed significantly lower mSFI score from 10 months of age onward when compared to males. We also applied the mSFI in male C57BL/6 mice under chronic subordination stress and in chronic isolation, both of which induced larger increases in social frailty compared to age-matched group-housed males. Lastly, we show that the mSFI is enhanced in mouse models that show accelerated biological aging such as progeroid Ercc1-/Δ and Xpg-/- mice of both sexes compared to age matched littermate wild types. In summary, the mSFI represents a novel index to quantify trajectories of biological aging in mice and may help elucidate links between impaired social behavior and the aging process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles W Collinge
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Maria Razzoli
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Rachel Mansk
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Seth McGonigle
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Dudley W Lamming
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Christina A Pacak
- Greg Marzolf Jr. Muscular Dystrophy Center & Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ingrid van der Pluijm
- Department of Molecular Genetics, and Department of Vascular Surgery, Cardiovascular Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Niedernhofer
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Alessandro Bartolomucci
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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Chen C, Plonski NM, Dong Q, Song N, Zhang X, Parikh HM, Finch ER, Easton J, Mulder HL, Walker E, Neale G, Pan Y, Li Q, Zhang J, Krull K, Robison LL, Armstrong GT, Yasui Y, Ness KK, Hudson MM, Wang H, Huang IC, Wang Z. Race and Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Factors, and Epigenetic Age Acceleration in Survivors of Childhood Cancer. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2419771. [PMID: 38954412 PMCID: PMC11220564 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.19771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Current research in epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) is limited to non-Hispanic White individuals. It is imperative to improve inclusivity by considering racial and ethnic minorities in EAA research. Objective To compare non-Hispanic Black with non-Hispanic White survivors of childhood cancer by examining the associations of EAA with cancer treatment exposures, potential racial and ethnic disparity in EAA, and mediating roles of social determinants of health (SDOH). Design, Setting, and Participants In this cross-sectional study, participants were from the St Jude Lifetime Cohort, which was initiated in 2007 with ongoing follow-up. Eligible participants included non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White survivors of childhood cancer treated at St Jude Children's Research Hospital between 1962 and 2012 who had DNA methylation data. Data analysis was conducted from February 2023 to May 2024. Exposure Three treatment exposures for childhood cancer (chest radiotherapy, alkylating agents, and epipodophyllotoxin). Main Outcomes and Measures DNA methylation was generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived DNA. EAA was calculated as residuals from regressing Levine or Horvath epigenetic age on chronological age. SDOH included educational attainment, annual personal income, and the socioeconomic area deprivation index (ADI). General linear models evaluated cross-sectional associations of EAA with race and ethnicity (non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White) and/or SDOH, adjusting for sex, body mass index, smoking, and cancer treatments. Adjusted least square means (ALSM) of EAA were calculated for group comparisons. Mediation analysis treated SDOH as mediators with average causal mediation effect (ACME) calculated for the association of EAA with race and ethnicity. Results Among a total of 1706 survivors including 230 non-Hispanic Black survivors (median [IQR] age at diagnosis, 9.5 [4.3-14.3] years; 103 male [44.8%] and 127 female [55.2%]) and 1476 non-Hispanic White survivors (median [IQR] age at diagnosis, 9.3 [3.9-14.6] years; 766 male [51.9%] and 710 female [48.1%]), EAA was significantly greater among non-Hispanic Black survivors (ALSM = 1.41; 95% CI, 0.66 to 2.16) than non-Hispanic White survivors (ALSM = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.81). Among non-Hispanic Black survivors, EAA was significantly increased among those exposed to chest radiotherapy (ALSM = 2.82; 95% CI, 1.37 to 4.26) vs those unexposed (ALSM = 0.46; 95% CI, -0.60 to 1.51), among those exposed to alkylating agents (ALSM = 2.33; 95% CI, 1.21 to 3.45) vs those unexposed (ALSM = 0.95; 95% CI, -0.38 to 2.27), and among those exposed to epipodophyllotoxins (ALSM = 2.83; 95% CI, 1.27 to 4.40) vs those unexposed (ALSM = 0.44; 95% CI, -0.52 to 1.40). The association of EAA with epipodophyllotoxins differed by race and ethnicity (β for non-Hispanic Black survivors, 2.39 years; 95% CI, 0.74 to 4.04 years; β for non-Hispanic White survivors, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.05 to 1.31 years) and the difference was significant (1.77 years; 95% CI, 0.01 to 3.53 years; P for interaction = .049). Racial and ethnic disparities in EAA were mediated by educational attainment ( Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study of childhood cancer survivors, race and ethnicity moderated the association of EAA with epipodophyllotoxin exposure and racial and ethnic differences in EAA were partially mediated by educational attainment and ADI, indicating differential treatment toxic effects by race and ethnicity. These findings suggest that improving social support systems may mitigate socioeconomic disadvantages associated with even greater accelerated aging and reduce health disparities among childhood cancer survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Chen
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, SuZhou, Jiangsu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Center for Single-Cell Omics, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Noel-Marie Plonski
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Qian Dong
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Nan Song
- College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Xijun Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Hemang M. Parikh
- Health Informatics Institute, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa
| | - Emily R. Finch
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - John Easton
- Department of Computational Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Heather L. Mulder
- Department of Computational Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Emily Walker
- Hartwell Center, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Geoffrey Neale
- Hartwell Center, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Yue Pan
- Department of Biostatistics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Qian Li
- Department of Biostatistics, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Jinghui Zhang
- Department of Computational Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Kevin Krull
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
- Department of Psychology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Leslie L. Robison
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Gregory T. Armstrong
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Yutaka Yasui
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Kirsten K. Ness
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Melissa M. Hudson
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
- Department of Oncology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Hui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Center for Single-Cell Omics, School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - I-Chan Huang
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Zhaoming Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
- Department of Computational Biology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
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Nielsen L, Marsland AL, Hamlat EJ, Epel ES. New Directions in Geroscience: Integrating Social and Behavioral Drivers of Biological Aging. Psychosom Med 2024; 86:360-365. [PMID: 38718171 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACT The "geroscience hypothesis" posits that slowing the physiological processes of aging would lead to delayed disease onset and longer healthspan and lifespan. This shift from a focus on solely treating existing disease to slowing the aging process is a shift toward prevention, including a focus on risk factors found in the social environment. Although geroscience traditionally has focused on the molecular and cellular drivers of biological aging, more fundamental causes of aging may be found in the social exposome-the complex array of human social environmental exposures that shape health and disease. The social exposome may interact with physiological processes to accelerate aging biology. In this commentary, we review the potential of these insights to shape the emerging field of translational geroscience. The articles in this special issue highlight how social stress and social determinants of health are associated with biomarkers of aging such as inflammation, epigenetic clocks, and telomeres, and spotlight promising interventions to mitigate stress-related inflammation. For geroscience to incorporate the social exposome into its translational agenda, studies are needed that elucidate and quantify the effects of social exposures on aging and that consider social exposures as intervention targets. The life course perspective allows us to measure both exposures and aging biology over time including sensitive periods of development and major social transitions. In addition, given rapid changes in the measurement of aging biology, which include machine learning techniques, multisystem phenotypes of aging are being developed to better reflect whole body aging, replacing reliance on single system biomarkers. In this expanded and more integrated field of translational geroscience, strategies targeting factors in the social exposome hold promise for achieving aging health equity and extending healthy longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisbeth Nielsen
- From the Division of Behavioral and Social Research (Nielsen), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health. Bethesda, Maryland; Department of Psychology (Marsland), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Hamlat, Epel), University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
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Lindsay EK, Marsland AL, Cole SW, Dutcher JM, Greco CM, Wright AG, Brown KW, Creswell JD. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Reduces Proinflammatory Gene Regulation But Not Systemic Inflammation Among Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Psychosom Med 2024; 86:463-472. [PMID: 37982547 PMCID: PMC11098967 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Aging is associated with increased proinflammatory gene expression and systemic inflammation, and psychosocial stress may accelerate these changes. Mindfulness interventions show promise for reducing psychosocial stress and extending healthspan. Inflammatory pathways may play a role. In a sample of lonely older adults, we tested whether mindfulness training reduces proinflammatory gene expression and protein markers of systemic inflammation. METHODS Lonely older adults (65-85 years; N = 190) were randomly assigned to an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or matched Health Enhancement Program (HEP). Blood was drawn before and after the intervention and at 3-month follow-up. In peripheral blood mononuclear cells, RNA profiling was used to assess transcriptional regulation by proinflammatory nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) as well as β-adrenergic cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), antiviral interferon regulatory factor (IRF), and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) transcription factors. Plasma was assayed for proinflammatory markers interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Analyses tested time (pre, post, follow-up) by condition (MBSR versus HEP) effects. RESULTS MBSR reduced NF-κB ( d = 0.17, p = .028) but did not alter CREB ( d = 0.10, p = .20), IRF ( d = 0.13, p = .086), or GR activity ( d = 0.14, p = .063) relative to HEP over time. Contrary to predictions, there were no time by condition effects of MBSR compared with HEP on reducing circulating IL-6 or CRP. CONCLUSIONS In lonely older adults, MBSR reduced cellular proinflammatory gene regulation in ways that would predict reduced disease risk. However, no similar effect was observed for circulating protein markers of inflammation. These results provide specificity about how mindfulness interventions may impact distinct inflammatory markers among aging adults in ways that may have important implications for healthspan. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Trials identifier NCT02888600.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Steven W. Cole
- UCLA School of Medicine, Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences
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Syed SU, Cortez JI, Wilson SJ. Depression, Inflammation, and the Moderating Role of Metformin: Results From the Midlife in the United States Study and Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging. Psychosom Med 2024; 86:473-483. [PMID: 37910133 PMCID: PMC11039570 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Depression can promote inflammation and accelerate aging. Metformin, a widely prescribed antidiabetic, has shown promising preclinical evidence of aging-related health benefits, including decreased inflammation. The current study examined whether metformin usage buffers the association between depressive symptoms and inflammatory markers in two large samples of middle-aged and older, primarily White adults, and older Latino adults. METHODS Data from the Midlife in the United States Study ( N = 1255) and the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging ( N = 1786) included information on medication use, depressive symptoms, and inflammatory markers, namely, interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor α, and C-reactive protein (CRP). These data were merged into a harmonized sample, and the sample group variable was included in a three-way interaction for analysis. RESULTS Specifically, in the Midlife in the United States Study sample, metformin buffered the association between depressive symptoms and CRP ( b = -0.029, standard error [SE] = 0.013, p = .007) and IL-6 ( b = 0.21, SE = 0.010, p = .046), whereas no significant association was found with tumor necrosis factor α. Metformin nonusers displayed higher depressive symptoms associated with elevated CRP ( b = 0.01, SE = 0.003, p < .001) and IL-6 ( b = 0.011, SE = 0.003, p < .001), whereas this association was not present among metformin users ( p values > .068). Conversely, in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging sample, metformin use did not show a significant protective link. CONCLUSIONS Results from mostly White, highly educated adults supported a mitigating role of metformin in ties between depression, a well-known behavioral risk factor, and inflammation, a key source of biological aging. However, the benefits did not extend to a large sample of older Mexican Americans. The findings reveal a hidden potential benefit of this therapeutic agent and raise important questions around its health equity. TRIAL REGISTRATION The study was preregistered on OSF ( https://osf.io/c92vw/ ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumaiyah U. Syed
- Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jared I. Cortez
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
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Bourassa KJ, Halverson TF, Garrett ME, Hair L, Dennis M, Ashley-Koch AE, Beckham JC, Kimbrel NA. Demographic characteristics and epigenetic biological aging among post-9/11 veterans: Associations of DunedinPACE with sex, race, and age. Psychiatry Res 2024; 336:115908. [PMID: 38626626 PMCID: PMC11070289 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
Measures of epigenetic aging derived from DNA methylation (DNAm) have enabled the assessment of biological aging in new populations and cohorts. In the present study, we used an epigenetic measure of aging, DunedinPACE, to examine rates of aging across demographic groups in a sample of 2,309 United States military veterans from the VISN 6 MIRECC's Post-Deployment Mental Health Study. As assessed by DunedinPACE, female veterans were aging faster than male veterans (β = 0.39, 95 % CI [0.29, 0.48], p < .001), non-Hispanic Black veterans were aging faster than non-Hispanic White veterans (β = 0.58, 95 % CI [0.50, 0.66], p < .001), and older veterans were biologically aging faster than younger veterans (β = 0.21, 95 % CI [0.18, 0.25], p < .001). In secondary analyses, these differences in rates of aging were not explained by a variety of biopsychosocial covariates. In addition, the percentage of European genetic admixture in non-Hispanic Black veterans was not associated with DunedinPACE. Our findings suggest that female and non-Hispanic Black veterans are at greater risk of accelerated aging among post-9/11 veterans. Interventions that slow aging might provide relatively greater benefit among veterans comprising these at-risk groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J Bourassa
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System; Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System; Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center.
| | - Tate F Halverson
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System
| | | | - Lauren Hair
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
| | - Michelle Dennis
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
| | | | - Jean C Beckham
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
| | - Nathan A Kimbrel
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine; VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham VA Health Care System
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11
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Surachman A, Harhay M, Santos AR, Daw J, Alexander LM, Almeida DM, Coe CL. Financial Hardship and Age-Related Decrements in Kidney Function Among Black and White Adults in the Midlife in the United States Study. Psychosom Med 2024; 86:431-442. [PMID: 37982543 PMCID: PMC11082066 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This analysis examined if financial hardship was associated with age-related decrements in kidney function using a material-psychosocial-behavioral framework. We also tested if this association was mediated by comorbidity of cardiometabolic risk factors (obesity, elevated blood pressure, and insulin resistance). METHODS Data from 1361 non-Hispanic Black and White adults (ages 26-94 years; non-Hispanic Black = 258) were obtained from the Wave 3 and Refresher phases of the Midlife in the United States project. Kidney function was based on serum creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formula without race adjustment). Financial hardship was evaluated in three domains: material (income to poverty line ratio, health insurance coverage, and public/government financial assistance), psychological (perceived financial status, control over financial status, and perceived financial strains), and behavioral responses (financial adjustment/coping such as sold possessions and cutting back on spending). RESULTS More severe financial hardship (overall score and in each domain) was associated with age-related decrements in eGFR, even after adjusting for sociodemographic, education, and health-related covariates. The association between financial hardship and age-related decrements in eGFR was conditional on sex but not race. Finally, cardiometabolic risk factors mediated the association between financial hardship and age-related decrements in eGFR. CONCLUSIONS These findings affirm the negative effects of financial hardship on age-related decrements in renal clearance. In addition to incorporating traditionally used indicators of SES, such as education and income, future research on social hallmarks of aging should also consider the role of financial hardship on the aging process and age-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agus Surachman
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Meera Harhay
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alexis R. Santos
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Center for Healthy Aging, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Jonathan Daw
- Department of Sociology and Criminology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Lacy M. Alexander
- Center for Healthy Aging, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - David M. Almeida
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Center for Healthy Aging, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Christopher L. Coe
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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12
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Nair AK, Adluru N, Finley AJ, Gresham LK, Skinner SE, Alexander AL, Davidson RJ, Ryff CD, Schaefer SM. Purpose in life as a resilience factor for brain health: diffusion MRI findings from the Midlife in the U.S. study. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1355998. [PMID: 38505799 PMCID: PMC10948414 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1355998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction A greater sense of purpose in life is associated with several health benefits relevant for active aging, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We evaluated if purpose in life was associated with indices of brain health. Methods We examined data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Neuroscience Project. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging data (n=138; mean age 65.2 years, age range 48-95; 80 females; 37 black, indigenous, and people of color) were used to estimate microstructural indices of brain health such as axonal density, and axonal orientation. The seven-item purpose in life scale was used. Permutation analysis of linear models was used to examine associations between purpose in life scores and the diffusion metrics in white matter and in the bilateral hippocampus, adjusting for age, sex, education, and race. Results and discussion Greater sense of purpose in life was associated with brain microstructural features consistent with better brain health. Positive associations were found in both white matter and the right hippocampus, where multiple convergent associations were detected. The hippocampus is a brain structure involved in learning and memory that is vulnerable to stress but retains the capacity to grow and adapt through old age. Our findings suggest pathways through which an enhanced sense of purpose in life may contribute to better brain health and promote healthy aging. Since purpose in life is known to decline with age, interventions and policy changes that facilitate a greater sense of purpose may extend and improve the brain health of individuals and thus improve public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajay Kumar Nair
- Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Nagesh Adluru
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Anna J. Finley
- Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Lauren K. Gresham
- Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Sarah E. Skinner
- Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Andrew L. Alexander
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Richard J. Davidson
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Carol D. Ryff
- Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Stacey M. Schaefer
- Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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13
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Jacobson RM, Pignolo RJ, Lazaridis KN. Clinical Trials for Special Populations: Children, Older Adults, and Rare Diseases. Mayo Clin Proc 2024; 99:318-335. [PMID: 38309939 PMCID: PMC10842263 DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2023.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Research cannot maximize population health unless it improves health for all members of the public, including special populations such as children, older adults, and people living with rare diseases. Each of these categories require special considerations when planning and performing clinical trials, and common threads of ethical conduct of research in vulnerable populations appear throughout. In this review, definitions of each of the three categories of special population (children, older adults, and rare diseases) are discussed in terms of US research regulations, the unique challenges to conducting clinical trials for these special populations, critical ethical issues, and opportunities for innovative ways to design and operationalize clinical trials in special populations. Additional critical attention is focused on factors that influence the generalizability of study results to reduce health disparities, as well as the importance of community engagement and advocacy groups that can help to educate potential trial participants of the benefits of clinical trial participation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Jacobson
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine and Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | - Robert J Pignolo
- Department of Medicine and Divisions of Hospital Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Home of Medical Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, and Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Konstantinos N Lazaridis
- Center for Individualized Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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14
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Bourassa KJ, Garrett ME, Caspi A, Dennis M, Hall KS, Moffitt TE, Taylor GA, Ashley-Koch AE, Beckham JC, Kimbrel NA. Posttraumatic stress disorder, trauma, and accelerated biological aging among post-9/11 veterans. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:4. [PMID: 38184702 PMCID: PMC10771513 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02704-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024] Open
Abstract
People who experience trauma and develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at increased risk for poor health. One mechanism that could explain this risk is accelerated biological aging, which is associated with the accumulation of chronic diseases, disability, and premature mortality. Using data from 2309 post-9/11 United States military veterans who participated in the VISN 6 MIRECC's Post-Deployment Mental Health Study, we tested whether PTSD and trauma exposure were associated with accelerated rate of biological aging, assessed using a validated DNA methylation (DNAm) measure of epigenetic aging-DunedinPACE. Veterans with current PTSD were aging faster than those who did not have current PTSD, β = 0.18, 95% CI [0.11, 0.27], p < .001. This effect represented an additional 0.4 months of biological aging each year. Veterans were also aging faster if they reported more PTSD symptoms, β = 0.13, 95% CI [0.09, 0.16], p < 0.001, or higher levels of trauma exposure, β = 0.09, 95% CI [0.05, 0.13], p < 0.001. Notably, veterans with past PTSD were aging more slowly than those with current PTSD, β = -0.21, 95% CI [-0.35, -0.07], p = .003. All reported results accounted for age, gender, self-reported race/ethnicity, and education, and remained when controlling for smoking. Our findings suggest that an accelerated rate of biological aging could help explain how PTSD contributes to poor health and highlights the potential benefits of providing efficacious treatment to populations at increased risk of trauma and PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J Bourassa
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA.
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA.
- Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA.
| | | | - Avshalom Caspi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, US
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, USA
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Center for the Study of Population Health & Aging, Duke University Population Research Institute, Durham, USA
| | - Michelle Dennis
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, US
| | - Katherine S Hall
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Terrie E Moffitt
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, US
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, USA
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Center for the Study of Population Health & Aging, Duke University Population Research Institute, Durham, USA
| | - Gregory A Taylor
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA
- Department of Integrative Immunobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, USA
| | | | - Jean C Beckham
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, US
| | - Nathan A Kimbrel
- VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, US
- VA Health Services Research and Development Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, USA
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15
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Knodt AR, Meier MH, Ambler A, Gehred MZ, Harrington H, Ireland D, Poulton R, Ramrakha S, Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Hariri AR. Diminished Structural Brain Integrity in Long-term Cannabis Users Reflects a History of Polysubstance Use. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 92:861-870. [PMID: 36008158 PMCID: PMC9637748 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cannabis legalization and use are outpacing our understanding of its long-term effects on brain and behavior, which is fundamental for effective policy and health practices. Existing studies are limited by small samples, cross-sectional measures, failure to separate long-term from recreational use, and inadequate control for other substance use. Here, we address these limitations by determining the structural brain integrity of long-term cannabis users in the Dunedin Study, a longitudinal investigation of a population-representative birth cohort followed to midlife. METHODS We leveraged prospective measures of cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, and other illicit drug use in addition to structural neuroimaging in 875 study members at age 45 to test for differences in both global and regional gray and white matter integrity between long-term cannabis users and lifelong nonusers. We additionally tested for dose-response associations between continuous measures of cannabis use and brain structure, including careful adjustments for use of other substances. RESULTS Long-term cannabis users had a thinner cortex, smaller subcortical gray matter volumes, and higher machine learning-predicted brain age than nonusers. However, these differences in structural brain integrity were explained by the propensity of long-term cannabis users to engage in polysubstance use, especially with alcohol and tobacco. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that diminished midlife structural brain integrity in long-term cannabis users reflects a broader pattern of polysubstance use, underlining the importance of understanding comorbid substance use in efforts to curb the negative effects of cannabis on brain and behavior as well as establish more effective policy and health practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annchen R Knodt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Madeline H Meier
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Antony Ambler
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Maria Z Gehred
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - HonaLee Harrington
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - David Ireland
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Richie Poulton
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sandhya Ramrakha
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Terrie E Moffitt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmad R Hariri
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
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16
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Berg MT, Rogers EM, Riley K, Lei MK, Simons RL. Incarceration exposure and epigenetic aging in neighborhood context. Soc Sci Med 2022; 310:115273. [PMID: 35994877 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Research has implicated incarceration exposure as a social determinant of health, with recent work suggesting incarceration may trigger a stress response that accelerates physiological deterioration. The objective of the current study is to assess whether neighborhood stressors intensify the health consequences of incarceration exposure. METHODS We test whether two neighborhood context measures - socioeconomic disadvantage and perceived crime - moderate the association between incarceration exposure and a measure of accelerated epigenetic aging based on the GrimAge index. Our sample included 408 African American young adults from the Family and Community Health study. RESULTS Results from regression analyses with inverse probability of treatment weights suggest that incarceration exposure and neighborhood disadvantage are independently associated with accelerated biological aging. The results also show that the impact of incarceration exposure on accelerated aging is amplified for individuals in neighborhoods with higher levels of perceived crime. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that the neighborhood contexts where formerly incarcerated individuals return have a substantial impact on their pace of biological aging. Policies aimed at reducing ambient stressors after release may promote healthy aging among formerly incarcerated African American adults.
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17
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Sugden K, Caspi A, Elliott ML, Bourassa KJ, Chamarti K, Corcoran DL, Hariri AR, Houts RM, Kothari M, Kritchevsky S, Kuchel GA, Mill JS, Williams BS, Belsky DW, Moffitt TE. Association of Pace of Aging Measured by Blood-Based DNA Methylation With Age-Related Cognitive Impairment and Dementia. Neurology 2022; 99:e1402-e1413. [PMID: 35794023 PMCID: PMC9576288 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000200898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES DNA methylation algorithms are increasingly used to estimate biological aging; however, how these proposed measures of whole-organism biological aging relate to aging in the brain is not known. We used data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Offspring Cohort to test the association between blood-based DNA methylation measures of biological aging and cognitive impairment and dementia in older adults. METHODS We tested 3 "generations" of DNA methylation age algorithms (first generation: Horvath and Hannum clocks; second generation: PhenoAge and GrimAge; and third generation: DunedinPACE, Dunedin Pace of Aging Calculated from the Epigenome) against the following measures of cognitive impairment in ADNI: clinical diagnosis of dementia and mild cognitive impairment, scores on Alzheimer disease (AD) / Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) screening tests (Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and scores on cognitive tests (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Logical Memory test, and Trail Making Test). In an independent replication in the FHS Offspring Cohort, we further tested the longitudinal association between the DNA methylation algorithms and the risk of developing dementia. RESULTS In ADNI (N = 649 individuals), the first-generation (Horvath and Hannum DNA methylation age clocks) and the second-generation (PhenoAge and GrimAge) DNA methylation measures of aging were not consistently associated with measures of cognitive impairment in older adults. By contrast, a third-generation measure of biological aging, DunedinPACE, was associated with clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (beta [95% CI] = 0.28 [0.08-0.47]), poorer scores on Alzheimer disease/ADRD screening tests (beta [Robust SE] = -0.10 [0.04] to 0.08[0.04]), and cognitive tests (beta [Robust SE] = -0.12 [0.04] to 0.10 [0.03]). The association between faster pace of aging, as measured by DunedinPACE, and risk of developing dementia was confirmed in a longitudinal analysis of the FHS Offspring Cohort (N = 2,264 individuals, hazard ratio [95% CI] = 1.27 [1.07-1.49]). DISCUSSION Third-generation blood-based DNA methylation measures of aging could prove valuable for measuring differences between individuals in the rate at which they age and in their risk for cognitive decline, and for evaluating interventions to slow aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Sugden
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York.
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Maxwell L Elliott
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Kyle J Bourassa
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Kartik Chamarti
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - David L Corcoran
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Ahmad R Hariri
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Renate M Houts
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Meeraj Kothari
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Stephen Kritchevsky
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - George A Kuchel
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Jonathan S Mill
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Benjamin S Williams
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Daniel W Belsky
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
| | - Terrie E Moffitt
- From the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (K.S., A.C., M.L.E., K.C., A.R.H., R.M.H., B.S.W., T.E.M.), and Center for Genomic and Computational Biology (K.S., A.C., B.S.W., T.E.M.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (A.C., T.E.M.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC; Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (A.C, T.E.M.), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK. Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development (K.J.B.), Duke University, Durham, NC; Department of Genetics (D.L.C.), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill; Butler Columbia Aging Center (M.K., D.W.B.), Columbia University, New York, New York; Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention (S.K.), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC; UConn Center on Aging (G.A.K.), University of Connecticut, Farmington, Connecticut, USA; College of Medicine and Health (J.S.M.), University of Exeter Medical School, Devon, UK; and Department of Epidemiology (D.W.B.), Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York
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18
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Simons RL, Ong ML, Lei MK, Klopack E, Berg M, Zhang Y, Philibert R, Beach SSR. Unstable Childhood, Adult Adversity, and Smoking Accelerate Biological Aging Among Middle-Age African Americans: Similar Findings for GrimAge and PoAm. J Aging Health 2022; 34:487-498. [PMID: 34525884 PMCID: PMC9851128 DOI: 10.1177/08982643211043668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Objectives: The recent biological clocks GrimAge and PoAm are robust predictors of morbidity and mortality. Little research, however, has investigated the factors that influence their ticking speed. No study has used multivariate analyses to examine whether childhood adversity, adult hardship, lifestyle practices, or some combination of these factors best explains acceleration of these indices. Methods: Using a sample of 506 middle-age African Americans, the present study investigated the extent to which childhood instability, adult adversity, and lifestyle predict accelerated GrimAge and PoAm. Results: The two clocks were highly correlated and the pattern of findings was very similar for the two measures. Childhood instability, adult financial hardship, and smoking were significant predictors of both clocks. Discussion: The findings support a life course perspective where both the long arm of childhood as well as later life conditions influence speed of aging. Similar results across the two clocks enhance confidence in the findings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Eric Klopack
- University of Southern California, California, CA, USA
| | - Mark Berg
- University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Yue Zhang
- 1355University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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19
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Simons RL, Ong ML, Lei MK, Klopach E, Berg M, Zhang Y, Philibert R, Gibbons FX, Beach SR. Shifts in lifestyle and socioeconomic circumstances predict change—for better or worse—in speed of epigenetic aging: A study of middle-aged black women. Soc Sci Med 2022; 307:115175. [DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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20
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Reale A, Tagliatesta S, Zardo G, Zampieri M. Counteracting aged DNA methylation states to combat ageing and age-related diseases. Mech Ageing Dev 2022; 206:111695. [PMID: 35760211 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2022.111695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
DNA methylation (DNAm) overwrites information about multiple extrinsic factors on the genome. Age is one of these factors. Age causes characteristic DNAm changes that are thought to be not only major drivers of normal ageing but also precursors to diseases, cancer being one of these. Although there is still much to learn about the relationship between ageing, age-related diseases and DNAm, we now know how to interpret some of the effects caused by age in the form of changes in methylation marks at specific loci. In fact, these changes form the basis of the so called "epigenetic clocks", which translate the genomic methylation profile into an "epigenetic age". Epigenetic age does not only estimate chronological age but can also predict the risk of chronic diseases and mortality. Epigenetic age is believed to be one of the most accurate metrics of biological age. Initial evidence has recently been gathered pointing to the possibility that the rate of epigenetic ageing can be slowed down or even reversed. In this review, we discuss some of the most relevant advances in this field. Expected outcome is that this approach can provide insights into how to preserve health and reduce the impact of ageing diseases in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Reale
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Stefano Tagliatesta
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Zardo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Michele Zampieri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy.
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21
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Das A. Childhood police encounters, social isolation and epigenetic age acceleration among older U.S. adults. Soc Sci Med 2022; 301:114967. [PMID: 35421810 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study examined associations of childhood police encounters with biological age acceleration in later life, and their mediation by subjective or objective social isolation. METHODS Data were from the Health and Retirement Study, nationally representative of older U.S. adults. Age acceleration was proxied through newly available epigenetic measures. Doubly robust estimation was used to establish baseline linkages, and heterogenous treatment effect models to examine variations in effects by one's increasing propensity for early police encounters. Mediation analysis was through a recently developed regression-with-residuals approach for structural nested mean models. RESULTS Childhood police encounters was prospectively associated with age acceleration. Those with such early experiences also reported more loneliness and isolation from their community, although their ties to family and friends seemed stronger. Associations did not significantly decline with increasing propensity for such childhood experiences. Treatment effects on age acceleration seemed partly mediated by loneliness and by community isolation. DISCUSSION Findings add to the growing evidence on the "long arm of childhood," and highlight public health implications of policy-driven social exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniruddha Das
- Department of Sociology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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22
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Raffington L, Belsky DW. Integrating DNA Methylation Measures of Biological Aging into Social Determinants of Health Research. Curr Environ Health Rep 2022; 9:196-210. [PMID: 35181865 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-022-00338-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Acceleration of biological processes of aging is hypothesized to drive excess morbidity and mortality in socially disadvantaged populations. DNA methylation measures of biological aging provide tools for testing this hypothesis. RECENT FINDINGS Next-generation DNA methylation measures of biological aging developed to predict mortality risk and physiological decline are more predictive of morbidity and mortality than the original epigenetic clocks developed to predict chronological age. These new measures show consistent evidence of more advanced and faster biological aging in people exposed to socioeconomic disadvantage and may be able to record the emergence of socially determined health inequalities as early as childhood. Next-generation DNA methylation measures of biological aging also indicate race/ethnic disparities in biological aging. More research is needed on these measures in samples of non-Western and non-White populations. New DNA methylation measures of biological aging open opportunities for refining inference about the causes of social disparities in health and devising policies to eliminate them. Further refining measures of biological aging by including more diversity in samples used for measurement development is a critical priority for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel Raffington
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Daniel W Belsky
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th St. Rm 413, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
- Robert N Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA.
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23
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Geroscience: the need to address some issues. Biogerontology 2022; 23:145-150. [DOI: 10.1007/s10522-022-09951-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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24
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Belsky DW, Caspi A, Corcoran DL, Sugden K, Poulton R, Arseneault L, Baccarelli A, Chamarti K, Gao X, Hannon E, Harrington HL, Houts R, Kothari M, Kwon D, Mill J, Schwartz J, Vokonas P, Wang C, Williams BS, Moffitt TE. DunedinPACE, a DNA methylation biomarker of the pace of aging. eLife 2022; 11:e73420. [PMID: 35029144 PMCID: PMC8853656 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 273] [Impact Index Per Article: 136.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Measures to quantify changes in the pace of biological aging in response to intervention are needed to evaluate geroprotective interventions for humans. Previously, we showed that quantification of the pace of biological aging from a DNA-methylation blood test was possible (Belsky et al., 2020). Here, we report a next-generation DNA-methylation biomarker of Pace of Aging, DunedinPACE (for Pace of Aging Calculated from the Epigenome). Methods We used data from the Dunedin Study 1972-1973 birth cohort tracking within-individual decline in 19 indicators of organ-system integrity across four time points spanning two decades to model Pace of Aging. We distilled this two-decade Pace of Aging into a single-time-point DNA-methylation blood-test using elastic-net regression and a DNA-methylation dataset restricted to exclude probes with low test-retest reliability. We evaluated the resulting measure, named DunedinPACE, in five additional datasets. Results DunedinPACE showed high test-retest reliability, was associated with morbidity, disability, and mortality, and indicated faster aging in young adults with childhood adversity. DunedinPACE effect-sizes were similar to GrimAge Clock effect-sizes. In analysis of incident morbidity, disability, and mortality, DunedinPACE and added incremental prediction beyond GrimAge. Conclusions DunedinPACE is a novel blood biomarker of the pace of aging for gerontology and geroscience. Funding This research was supported by US-National Institute on Aging grants AG032282, AG061378, AG066887, and UK Medical Research Council grant MR/P005918/1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W Belsky
- Department of Epidemiology & Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - David L Corcoran
- Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Karen Sugden
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Richie Poulton
- Department of Psychology, University of OtagoOtagoNew Zealand
| | - Louise Arseneault
- Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrea Baccarelli
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Kartik Chamarti
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Xu Gao
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Peking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Eilis Hannon
- Complex Disease Epigenetics Group, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Hona Lee Harrington
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Renate Houts
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Meeraj Kothari
- Robert N Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia UniversityBrooklynUnited States
| | - Dayoon Kwon
- Robert N Butler Columbia Aging Center, Columbia UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | - Jonathan Mill
- Complex Disease Epigenetics Group, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Pantel Vokonas
- Department of Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare SystemBostonUnited States
| | - Cuicui Wang
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Benjamin S Williams
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Terrie E Moffitt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
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25
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Simons RL, Lei MK, Klopach E, Berg M, Zhang Y, Beach SSR. Re(Setting) Epigenetic Clocks: An Important Avenue Whereby Social Conditions Become Biologically Embedded across the Life Course. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR 2021; 62:436-453. [PMID: 34528488 DOI: 10.1177/00221465211009309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Research on biological embedding of the social environment has been expedited by increased availability of biomarkers. Recently, this arsenal of measures has been expanded to include epigenetic clocks that indicate in years the extent to which an individual is older or younger than their chronological age. These measures of biological aging, especially GrimAge, are robust predictors of both illness and time to death. Importantly for sociologists, several studies have linked social conditions to these indices of aging. The present study extends this research using longitudinal data from a sample of 223 black women participating in the Family and Community Health Study. We find that changes in income and living arrangements over an 11-year period predict changes in speed of biological aging. These results provide further support for the idea that epigenetic aging is a mechanism whereby social conditions become biologically embedded. The utility of epigenetic clocks for sociological studies of health are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Mark Berg
- University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Yue Zhang
- University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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26
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Elliott ML, Caspi A, Houts RM, Ambler A, Broadbent JM, Hancox RJ, Harrington H, Hogan S, Keenan R, Knodt A, Leung JH, Melzer TR, Purdy SC, Ramrakha S, Richmond-Rakerd LS, Righarts A, Sugden K, Thomson WM, Thorne PR, Williams BS, Wilson G, Hariri AR, Poulton R, Moffitt TE. Disparities in the pace of biological aging among midlife adults of the same chronological age have implications for future frailty risk and policy. NATURE AGING 2021; 1:295-308. [PMID: 33796868 PMCID: PMC8009092 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-021-00044-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Some humans age faster than others. Variation in biological aging can be measured in midlife, but the implications of this variation are poorly understood. We tested associations between midlife biological aging and indicators of future frailty-risk in the Dunedin cohort of 1037 infants born the same year and followed to age 45. Participants' Pace of Aging was quantified by tracking declining function in 19 biomarkers indexing the cardiovascular, metabolic, renal, immune, dental, and pulmonary systems across ages 26, 32, 38, and 45 years. At age 45 in 2019, participants with faster Pace of Aging had more cognitive difficulties, signs of advanced brain aging, diminished sensory-motor functions, older appearance, and more pessimistic perceptions of aging. People who are aging more rapidly than same-age peers in midlife may prematurely need supports to sustain independence that are usually reserved for older adults. Chronological age does not adequately identify need for such supports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell L. Elliott
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Renate M. Houts
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Antony Ambler
- King’s College London, Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, London, UK
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Robert J. Hancox
- Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Otago Medical School, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | - HonaLee Harrington
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sean Hogan
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Ross Keenan
- Brain Research New Zealand-Rangahau Roro Aotearoa, Centre of Research Excellence, Universities of Auckland and Otago, New Zealand
- Christchurch Radiology group, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Annchen Knodt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Joan H. Leung
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Eisdell Moore Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Tracy R. Melzer
- Brain Research New Zealand-Rangahau Roro Aotearoa, Centre of Research Excellence, Universities of Auckland and Otago, New Zealand
- Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Suzanne C. Purdy
- Brain Research New Zealand-Rangahau Roro Aotearoa, Centre of Research Excellence, Universities of Auckland and Otago, New Zealand
- School of Psychology, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- Eisdell Moore Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Sandhya Ramrakha
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - Antoinette Righarts
- Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Otago Medical School, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | - Karen Sugden
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Peter R. Thorne
- Brain Research New Zealand-Rangahau Roro Aotearoa, Centre of Research Excellence, Universities of Auckland and Otago, New Zealand
- Eisdell Moore Centre, University of Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Population Health, University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Graham Wilson
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Ahmad R. Hariri
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Richie Poulton
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Terrie E. Moffitt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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27
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Crimmins EM. Recent trends and increasing differences in life expectancy present opportunities for multidisciplinary research on aging. NATURE AGING 2021; 1:12-13. [PMID: 34355199 PMCID: PMC8336715 DOI: 10.1038/s43587-020-00016-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The increase in multidisciplinary research in the field of aging has many benefits and should be further applied to better understand and possibly reverse the stalled increase in life expectancy as well as growing social inequalities in life expectancy in many countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen M. Crimmins
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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28
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Crimmins EM. Social hallmarks of aging: Suggestions for geroscience research. Ageing Res Rev 2020; 63:101136. [PMID: 32798771 PMCID: PMC7530044 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2020.101136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
This paper focuses on the social hallmarks of aging including low lifetime socioeconomic status, adversity in childhood and adulthood, being a member of a minority group, adverse health behaviors, and adverse psychological states. The "Social Hallmarks of Aging" are analogous to the "Geroscience Hallmarks of Aging" in reflecting a set of underlying and interrelated social causes of multiple age-related health outcomes. The paper presents empirical work incorporating the social hallmarks of aging with indicators of multiple biological hallmarks of aging as well as downstream biology in explaining a range of health outcomes. Results show the relative strength of the associations of social and biological measures with important health outcomes. Social factors are strongly related to physical and cognitive functioning and multimorbidity in this older population; this remains true when the significant number of biological measures are controlled. These results can be interpreted to mean that a significant amount of the social variance in age-related health outcomes is not explained by these measures of biology. Indicators of the geroscience hallmarks of aging only relate modestly to the variability in human health outcomes. Attention to the social hallmarks related to human aging can usefully be incorporated into work on the biological hallmarks of aging to make greater progress in understanding human aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen M Crimmins
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-0191, USA.
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29
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Epel ES. The geroscience agenda: Toxic stress, hormetic stress, and the rate of aging. Ageing Res Rev 2020; 63:101167. [PMID: 32979553 PMCID: PMC7520385 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2020.101167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Geroscience offers a counterpoint to the challenged pursuit of curing diseases of aging, by focusing on slowing the biological aging process for extended healthspan earlier in life. Remarkable progress has led this field toward animal trials and the next challenge lies with translation to humans. There is an emerging number of small human trials that can take advantage of new models integrating behavioral and social factors. Understanding dynamic aging mechanisms, given the powerful social determinants of aging (Crimmins, 2020) and human variability and environmental contexts (Moffitt, 2020), will be critical. Behavioral and social factors are intrinsic to aging. Toxic stressors broadly defined can lead to stress-acceleration of aging, either directly impacting aging processes or by shaping poor behavioral health, and underlie the socioeconomic disparities of aging. In contrast, hormetic stressors, acute intermittent stressors of moderate intensity, can produce stress resilience, the ability for quick recovery and possibly rejuvenation of cells and tissues. Although health research usually examines static biomarkers, aging is reflected in dynamic ability to recover from challenges pointing to new interventions and targets for examining mechanisms. A fuller model incorporating stress resilience provides innovative biobehavioral interventions, both for bolstering response to challenges, such as COVID-19, and for improving healthspan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa S Epel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, & Center for Health and Community, University of California, 3333 California St, Ste 465, San Francisco, CA, 94122, United States.
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