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Jirsaraie RJ, Gatavins MM, Pines AR, Kandala S, Bijsterbosch JD, Marek S, Bogdan R, Barch DM, Sotiras A. Mapping the neurodevelopmental predictors of psychopathology. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02682-7. [PMID: 39107582 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02682-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Neuroimaging research has uncovered a multitude of neural abnormalities associated with psychopathology, but few prediction-based studies have been conducted during adolescence, and even fewer used neurobiological features that were extracted across multiple neuroimaging modalities. This gap in the literature is critical, as deriving accurate brain-based models of psychopathology is an essential step towards understanding key neural mechanisms and identifying high-risk individuals. As such, we trained adaptive tree-boosting algorithms on multimodal neuroimaging features from the Lifespan Human Connectome Developmental (HCP-D) sample that contained 956 participants between the ages of 8 to 22 years old. Our feature space consisted of 1037 anatomical, 1090 functional, and 192 diffusion MRI features, which were used to derive models that separately predicted internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and the general psychopathology factor. We found that multimodal models were the most accurate, but all brain-based models of psychopathology yielded out-of-sample predictions that were weakly correlated with actual symptoms (r2 < 0.15). White matter microstructural properties, including orientation dispersion indices and intracellular volume fractions, were the most predictive of general psychopathology, followed by cortical thickness and functional connectivity. Spatially, the most predictive features of general psychopathology were primarily localized within the default mode and dorsal attention networks. These results were mostly consistent across all dimensions of psychopathology, except orientation dispersion indices and the default mode network were not as heavily weighted in the prediction of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Taken with prior literature, it appears that neurobiological features are an important part of the equation for predicting psychopathology but relying exclusively on neural markers is clearly not sufficient, especially among adolescent samples with subclinical symptoms. Consequently, risk factor models of psychopathology may benefit from incorporating additional sources of information that have also been shown to explain individual differences, such as psychosocial factors, environmental stressors, and genetic vulnerabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Jirsaraie
- Division of Computational and Data Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Martins M Gatavins
- Lifespan Brain Institute, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Adam R Pines
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sridhar Kandala
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Janine D Bijsterbosch
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Scott Marek
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- AI for Health Institute, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ryan Bogdan
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Aristeidis Sotiras
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
- Institute for Informatics, Data Science & Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Zhao L, Zhu D, Wang X, Liu X, Li T, Wang B, Yao Z, Zheng W, Hu B. An Attention-Based Hemispheric Relation Inference Network for Perinatal Brain Age Prediction. IEEE J Biomed Health Inform 2024; 28:4483-4493. [PMID: 38857141 DOI: 10.1109/jbhi.2024.3411620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Brain anatomical age is an effective feature to assess the status of the brain, such as atypical development and aging. Although some deep learning models have been developed for estimating infant brain age, the performance of these models was unsatisfactory because few of them considered the developmental characteristics of brain anatomy during the perinatal period-the most rapid and complex developmental stage across the lifespan. The present study proposed an attention-based hemispheric relation inference network (HRINet) that takes advantage of the nature of brain structural lateralization during early development. This model captures the inter-hemispheric relationship using a graph attention mechanism and transmits lateralization information as features to describe the interactive development between bilateral hemispheres. The HRINet was used to estimate the brain age of 531 preterm and full-term neonates from the Developing Human Connectome Project (dHCP) database based on two metrics (mean curvature and sulcal depth) characterizing the folding morphology of the cortex. Our results showed that the HRINet outperformed other benchmark models in fitting the perinatal brain age, with mean absolute error of 0.53 and determination coefficient of 0.89. We also verified the generalizability of the HRINet on an extra independent dataset collected from the Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child-care Hospital. Furthermore, by applying the best-performing model to an independent dataset consisting of 47 scans of preterm infants at term-equivalent age, we showed that the predicted age was significantly lower than the chronological age, suggesting a delayed development of premature brains. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness and generalizability of the HRINet in estimating infant brain age, providing promising clinical applications for assessing neonatal brain maturity.
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Gaser C, Kalc P, Cole JH. A perspective on brain-age estimation and its clinical promise. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2024:10.1038/s43588-024-00659-8. [PMID: 39048692 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-024-00659-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Brain-age estimation has gained increased attention in the neuroscientific community owing to its potential use as a biomarker of brain health. The difference between estimated and chronological age based on neuroimaging data enables a unique perspective on brain development and aging, with multiple open questions still remaining in the brain-age research field. This Perspective presents an overview of current advancements in the field and envisions the future evolution of the brain-age framework before its potential deployment in hospital settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Gaser
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
- German Centre for Mental Health (DZPG), Jena-Halle-Magdeburg, Jena, Germany.
| | - Polona Kalc
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - James H Cole
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
- Dementia Research Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
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Panikratova YR, Tomyshev AS, Abdullina EG, Rodionov GI, Arkhipov AY, Tikhonov DV, Bozhko OV, Kaleda VG, Strelets VB, Lebedeva IS. Resting-state functional connectivity correlates of brain structural aging in schizophrenia. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024:10.1007/s00406-024-01837-5. [PMID: 38914851 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01837-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
A large body of research has shown that schizophrenia patients demonstrate increased brain structural aging. Although this process may be coupled with aberrant changes in intrinsic functional architecture of the brain, they remain understudied. We hypothesized that there are brain regions whose whole-brain functional connectivity at rest is differently associated with brain structural aging in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy controls. Eighty-four male schizophrenia patients and eighty-six male healthy controls underwent structural MRI and resting-state fMRI. The brain-predicted age difference (b-PAD) was a measure of brain structural aging. Resting-state fMRI was applied to obtain global correlation (GCOR) maps comprising voxelwise values of the strength and sign of functional connectivity of a given voxel with the rest of the brain. Schizophrenia patients had higher b-PAD compared to controls (mean between-group difference + 2.9 years). Greater b-PAD in schizophrenia patients, compared to controls, was associated with lower whole-brain functional connectivity of a region in frontal orbital cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, Heschl's Gyrus, plana temporale and polare, insula, and opercular cortices of the right hemisphere (rFTI). According to post hoc seed-based correlation analysis, decrease of functional connectivity with the posterior cingulate gyrus, left superior temporal cortices, as well as right angular gyrus/superior lateral occipital cortex has mainly driven the results. Lower functional connectivity of the rFTI was related to worse verbal working memory and language production. Our findings demonstrate that well-established frontotemporal functional abnormalities in schizophrenia are related to increased brain structural aging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Georgiy I Rodionov
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrey Yu Arkhipov
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | | | - Valeria B Strelets
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Tetereva A, Pat N. Brain age has limited utility as a biomarker for capturing fluid cognition in older individuals. eLife 2024; 12:RP87297. [PMID: 38869938 PMCID: PMC11175613 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87297] [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] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
One well-known biomarker candidate that supposedly helps capture fluid cognition is Brain Age, or a predicted value based on machine-learning models built to predict chronological age from brain MRI. To formally evaluate the utility of Brain Age for capturing fluid cognition, we built 26 age-prediction models for Brain Age based on different combinations of MRI modalities, using the Human Connectome Project in Aging (n=504, 36-100 years old). First, based on commonality analyses, we found a large overlap between Brain Age and chronological age: Brain Age could uniquely add only around 1.6% in explaining variation in fluid cognition over and above chronological age. Second, the age-prediction models that performed better at predicting chronological age did NOT necessarily create better Brain Age for capturing fluid cognition over and above chronological age. Instead, better-performing age-prediction models created Brain Age that overlapped larger with chronological age, up to around 29% out of 32%, in explaining fluid cognition. Third, Brain Age missed around 11% of the total variation in fluid cognition that could have been explained by the brain variation. That is, directly predicting fluid cognition from brain MRI data (instead of relying on Brain Age and chronological age) could lead to around a 1/3-time improvement of the total variation explained. Accordingly, we demonstrated the limited utility of Brain Age as a biomarker for fluid cognition and made some suggestions to ensure the utility of Brain Age in explaining fluid cognition and other phenotypes of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Tetereva
- Department of Psychology, University of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | - Narun Pat
- Department of Psychology, University of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
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Hanson JL, Adkins DJ, Bacas E, Zhou P. Examining the reliability of brain age algorithms under varying degrees of participant motion. Brain Inform 2024; 11:9. [PMID: 38573551 PMCID: PMC10994881 DOI: 10.1186/s40708-024-00223-0] [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: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Brain age algorithms using data science and machine learning techniques show promise as biomarkers for neurodegenerative disorders and aging. However, head motion during MRI scanning may compromise image quality and influence brain age estimates. We examined the effects of motion on brain age predictions in adult participants with low, high, and no motion MRI scans (Original N = 148; Analytic N = 138). Five popular algorithms were tested: brainageR, DeepBrainNet, XGBoost, ENIGMA, and pyment. Evaluation metrics, intraclass correlations (ICCs), and Bland-Altman analyses assessed reliability across motion conditions. Linear mixed models quantified motion effects. Results demonstrated motion significantly impacted brain age estimates for some algorithms, with ICCs dropping as low as 0.609 and errors increasing up to 11.5 years for high motion scans. DeepBrainNet and pyment showed greatest robustness and reliability (ICCs = 0.956-0.965). XGBoost and brainageR had the largest errors (up to 13.5 RMSE) and bias with motion. Findings indicate motion artifacts influence brain age estimates in significant ways. Furthermore, our results suggest certain algorithms like DeepBrainNet and pyment may be preferable for deployment in populations where motion during MRI acquisition is likely. Further optimization and validation of brain age algorithms is critical to use brain age as a biomarker relevant for clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie L Hanson
- Learning, Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Murdoch Building 3420 Forbes Ave. Rm. 639, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Dorthea J Adkins
- Learning, Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Murdoch Building 3420 Forbes Ave. Rm. 639, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Eva Bacas
- Learning, Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Murdoch Building 3420 Forbes Ave. Rm. 639, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Peiran Zhou
- Learning, Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Murdoch Building 3420 Forbes Ave. Rm. 639, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
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Petzold J, Pochon JBF, Ghahremani DG, London ED. Structural indices of brain aging in methamphetamine use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 256:111107. [PMID: 38330525 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methamphetamine use is surging globally. It has been linked to premature stroke, Parkinsonism, and dementia, suggesting that it may accelerate brain aging. METHODS We performed a retrospective study to determine if structural indices of brain aging were more prevalent prior to old age (26 - 54 years) in individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD), who were in early abstinence (M ± SD = 22.1 ± 25.6 days) than in healthy control (HC) participants. We compared T1-weighted MRI brain scans in age- and sex-matched groups (n = 89/group) on three structural features of brain aging: the brain volume/cerebrospinal fluid (BV/CSF) index, volume of white matter hypointensities/lesions, and choroid plexus volume. RESULTS The MUD group had a lower mean BV/CSF index and larger volumes of white matter hypointensities and choroid plexus (p-values < 0.01). Regression analyses showed significant age-by-group effects, indicating different age trajectories of the BV/CSF index and choroid plexus volume, consistent with abnormal global brain atrophy and choroid plexus pathology in the MUD group. Significant age and group main effects reflected a larger volume of white matter hypointensities for older participants across groups and for the MUD group irrespective of age. None of the three measures of brain aging correlated significantly with recent use or duration of recent abstinence from methamphetamine. CONCLUSIONS Premature brain pathology, which may reflect cerebrovascular damage and dysfunction of the choroid plexus, occurs in people with MUD. Such pathology may affect cognition and thereby efficacy of behavioral treatments for MUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Petzold
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jean-Baptiste F Pochon
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Dara G Ghahremani
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Edythe D London
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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8
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Constantinides C, Baltramonaityte V, Caramaschi D, Han LKM, Lancaster TM, Zammit S, Freeman TP, Walton E. Assessing the association between global structural brain age and polygenic risk for schizophrenia in early adulthood: A recall-by-genotype study. Cortex 2024; 172:1-13. [PMID: 38154374 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.11.015] [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: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies consistently show advanced brain age in schizophrenia, suggesting that brain structure is often 'older' than expected at a given chronological age. Whether advanced brain age is linked to genetic liability for schizophrenia remains unclear. In this pre-registered secondary data analysis, we utilised a recall-by-genotype approach applied to a population-based subsample from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to assess brain age differences between young adults aged 21-24 years with relatively high (n = 96) and low (n = 93) polygenic risk for schizophrenia (SCZ-PRS). A global index of brain age (or brain-predicted age) was estimated using a publicly available machine learning model previously trained on a combination of region-wise gray-matter measures, including cortical thickness, surface area and subcortical volumes derived from T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. We found no difference in mean brain-PAD (the difference between brain-predicted age and chronological age) between the high- and low-SCZ-PRS groups, controlling for the effects of sex and age at time of scanning (b = -.21; 95% CI -2.00, 1.58; p = .82; Cohen's d = -.034; partial R2 = .00029). These findings do not support an association between SCZ-PRS and brain-PAD based on global age-related structural brain patterns, suggesting that brain age may not be a vulnerability marker of common genetic risk for SCZ. Future studies with larger samples and multimodal brain age measures could further investigate global or localised effects of SCZ-PRS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Doretta Caramaschi
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Laura K M Han
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Orygen, Parkville, Australia
| | | | - Stanley Zammit
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, UK
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Kalc P, Dahnke R, Hoffstaedter F, Gaser C. BrainAGE: Revisited and reframed machine learning workflow. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26632. [PMID: 38379519 PMCID: PMC10879910 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26632] [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: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the introduction of the BrainAGE method, novel machine learning methods for brain age prediction have continued to emerge. The idea of estimating the chronological age from magnetic resonance images proved to be an interesting field of research due to the relative simplicity of its interpretation and its potential use as a biomarker of brain health. We revised our previous BrainAGE approach, originally utilising relevance vector regression (RVR), and substituted it with Gaussian process regression (GPR), which enables more stable processing of larger datasets, such as the UK Biobank (UKB). In addition, we extended the global BrainAGE approach to regional BrainAGE, providing spatially specific scores for five brain lobes per hemisphere. We tested the performance of the new algorithms under several different conditions and investigated their validity on the ADNI and schizophrenia samples, as well as on a synthetic dataset of neocortical thinning. The results show an improved performance of the reframed global model on the UKB sample with a mean absolute error (MAE) of less than 2 years and a significant difference in BrainAGE between healthy participants and patients with Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Moreover, the workings of the algorithm show meaningful effects for a simulated neocortical atrophy dataset. The regional BrainAGE model performed well on two clinical samples, showing disease-specific patterns for different levels of impairment. The results demonstrate that the new improved algorithms provide reliable and valid brain age estimations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polona Kalc
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of NeurologyJena University HospitalJenaGermany
| | - Robert Dahnke
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of NeurologyJena University HospitalJenaGermany
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyJena University HospitalJenaGermany
| | - Felix Hoffstaedter
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain and Behaviour (INM‐7)JülichGermany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University DüsseldorfDüsseldorfGermany
| | - Christian Gaser
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of NeurologyJena University HospitalJenaGermany
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyJena University HospitalJenaGermany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG)Jena‐Halle‐MagdeburgGermany
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Dehestani N, Vijayakumar N, Ball G, Mansour L S, Whittle S, Silk TJ. "Puberty age gap": new method of assessing pubertal timing and its association with mental health problems. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:221-228. [PMID: 38052980 PMCID: PMC11116096 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02316-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Puberty is linked to mental health problems during adolescence, and in particular, the timing of puberty is thought to be an important risk factor. This study developed a new measure of pubertal timing that was built upon multiple pubertal features and their nonlinear changes over time (i.e., with age), and investigated its association with mental health problems. Using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort (N ~ 9900, aged 9-13 years), we employed three different models to assess pubertal timing. These models aimed to predict chronological age based on: (i) observed physical development, (ii) hormone levels (testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA]), and (iii) a combination of both physical development and hormones. To achieve this, we utilized a supervised machine learning approach, which allowed us to train the models using the available data and make age predictions based on the input pubertal features. The accuracy of these three models was evaluated, and their associations with mental health problems were examined. The new pubertal timing model performed better at capturing age variance compared to the more commonly used linear regression method. Further, the model based on physical features accounted for the most variance in mental health, such that earlier pubertal timing was associated with higher symptoms. This study demonstrates the utility of our new model of pubertal timing and suggests that, relative to hormonal measures, physical measures of pubertal maturation have a stronger association with mental health problems in early adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niousha Dehestani
- Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
- Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Nandita Vijayakumar
- Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Gareth Ball
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sina Mansour L
- Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah Whittle
- Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Timothy J Silk
- Deakin University, Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
- Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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11
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Millar PR, Gordon BA, Wisch JK, Schultz SA, Benzinger TL, Cruchaga C, Hassenstab JJ, Ibanez L, Karch C, Llibre-Guerra JJ, Morris JC, Perrin RJ, Supnet-Bell C, Xiong C, Allegri RF, Berman SB, Chhatwal JP, Chrem Mendez PA, Day GS, Hofmann A, Ikeuchi T, Jucker M, Lee JH, Levin J, Lopera F, Niimi Y, Sánchez-González VJ, Schofield PR, Sosa-Ortiz AL, Vöglein J, Bateman RJ, Ances BM, McDade EM. Advanced structural brain aging in preclinical autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:98. [PMID: 38111006 PMCID: PMC10729487 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00688-3] [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: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND "Brain-predicted age" estimates biological age from complex, nonlinear features in neuroimaging scans. The brain age gap (BAG) between predicted and chronological age is elevated in sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD), but is underexplored in autosomal dominant AD (ADAD), in which AD progression is highly predictable with minimal confounding age-related co-pathology. METHODS We modeled BAG in 257 deeply-phenotyped ADAD mutation-carriers and 179 non-carriers from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network using minimally-processed structural MRI scans. We then tested whether BAG differed as a function of mutation and cognitive status, or estimated years until symptom onset, and whether it was associated with established markers of amyloid (PiB PET, CSF amyloid-β-42/40), phosphorylated tau (CSF and plasma pTau-181), neurodegeneration (CSF and plasma neurofilament-light-chain [NfL]), and cognition (global neuropsychological composite and CDR-sum of boxes). We compared BAG to other MRI measures, and examined heterogeneity in BAG as a function of ADAD mutation variants, APOE ε4 carrier status, sex, and education. RESULTS Advanced brain aging was observed in mutation-carriers approximately 7 years before expected symptom onset, in line with other established structural indicators of atrophy. BAG was moderately associated with amyloid PET and strongly associated with pTau-181, NfL, and cognition in mutation-carriers. Mutation variants, sex, and years of education contributed to variability in BAG. CONCLUSIONS We extend prior work using BAG from sporadic AD to ADAD, noting consistent results. BAG associates well with markers of pTau, neurodegeneration, and cognition, but to a lesser extent, amyloid, in ADAD. BAG may capture similar signal to established MRI measures. However, BAG offers unique benefits in simplicity of data processing and interpretation. Thus, results in this unique ADAD cohort with few age-related confounds suggest that brain aging attributable to AD neuropathology can be accurately quantified from minimally-processed MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter R Millar
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Brian A Gordon
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Julie K Wisch
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stephanie A Schultz
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tammie Ls Benzinger
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carlos Cruchaga
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jason J Hassenstab
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Laura Ibanez
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- NeuroGenomics & Informatics Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Celeste Karch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - John C Morris
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Richard J Perrin
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Chengjie Xiong
- Department of Biostatistics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Sarah B Berman
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jasmeer P Chhatwal
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Gregory S Day
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Anna Hofmann
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Takeshi Ikeuchi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Mathias Jucker
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jae-Hong Lee
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | | | - Yoshiki Niimi
- Unit for Early and Exploratory Clinical Development, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Victor J Sánchez-González
- Departamento de Clínicas, CUALTOS, Universidad de Guadalajara, Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, México
| | - Peter R Schofield
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ana Luisa Sosa-Ortiz
- Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugía MVS, CDMX, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jonathan Vöglein
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Munich, Germany
| | - Randall J Bateman
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Beau M Ances
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Eric M McDade
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Dörfel RP, Arenas‐Gomez JM, Fisher PM, Ganz M, Knudsen GM, Svensson JE, Plavén‐Sigray P. Prediction of brain age using structural magnetic resonance imaging: A comparison of accuracy and test-retest reliability of publicly available software packages. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:6139-6148. [PMID: 37843020 PMCID: PMC10619370 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26502] [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: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain age prediction algorithms using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) aim to assess the biological age of the human brain. The difference between a person's chronological age and the estimated brain age is thought to reflect deviations from a normal aging trajectory, indicating a slower or accelerated biological aging process. Several pre-trained software packages for predicting brain age are publicly available. In this study, we perform a comparison of such packages with respect to (1) predictive accuracy, (2) test-retest reliability, and (3) the ability to track age progression over time. We evaluated the six brain age prediction packages: brainageR, DeepBrainNet, brainage, ENIGMA, pyment, and mccqrnn. The accuracy and test-retest reliability were assessed on MRI data from 372 healthy people aged between 18.4 and 86.2 years (mean 38.7 ± 17.5 years). All packages showed significant correlations between predicted brain age and chronological age (r = 0.66-0.97, p < 0.001), with pyment displaying the strongest correlation. The mean absolute error was between 3.56 (pyment) and 9.54 years (ENIGMA). brainageR, pyment, and mccqrnn were superior in terms of reliability (ICC values between 0.94-0.98), as well as predicting age progression over a longer time span. Of the six packages, pyment and brainageR consistently showed the highest accuracy and test-retest reliability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben P. Dörfel
- Neurobiology Research UnitCopenhagen University Hospital, RigshospitaletCopenhagenDenmark
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical NeuroscienceKarolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region StockholmStockholmSweden
| | - Joan M. Arenas‐Gomez
- Neurobiology Research UnitCopenhagen University Hospital, RigshospitaletCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Patrick M. Fisher
- Neurobiology Research UnitCopenhagen University Hospital, RigshospitaletCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Drug Design and PharmacologyUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Melanie Ganz
- Neurobiology Research UnitCopenhagen University Hospital, RigshospitaletCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Computer ScienceUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Gitte M. Knudsen
- Neurobiology Research UnitCopenhagen University Hospital, RigshospitaletCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Clinical MedicineUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Jonas E. Svensson
- Neurobiology Research UnitCopenhagen University Hospital, RigshospitaletCopenhagenDenmark
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical NeuroscienceKarolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region StockholmStockholmSweden
| | - Pontus Plavén‐Sigray
- Neurobiology Research UnitCopenhagen University Hospital, RigshospitaletCopenhagenDenmark
- Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical NeuroscienceKarolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region StockholmStockholmSweden
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