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Im Y, Kang SH, Park G, Yoo H, Chun MY, Kim CH, Park CJ, Kim JP, Jang H, Kim HJ, Oh K, Koh SB, Lee JM, Na DL, Seo SW, Kim H. Ethnic differences in the effects of apolipoprotein E ɛ4 and vascular risk factors on accelerated brain aging. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae213. [PMID: 39007039 PMCID: PMC11242459 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The frequency of the apolipoprotein E ɛ4 allele and vascular risk factors differs among ethnic groups. We aimed to assess the combined effects of apolipoprotein E ɛ4 and vascular risk factors on brain age in Korean and UK cognitively unimpaired populations. We also aimed to determine the differences in the combined effects between the two populations. We enrolled 2314 cognitively unimpaired individuals aged ≥45 years from Korea and 6942 cognitively unimpaired individuals from the UK, who were matched using propensity scores. Brain age was defined using the brain age index. The apolipoprotein E genotype (ɛ4 carriers, ɛ2 carriers and ɛ3/ɛ3 homozygotes) and vascular risk factors (age, hypertension and diabetes) were considered predictors. Apolipoprotein E ɛ4 carriers in the Korean (β = 0.511, P = 0.012) and UK (β = 0.302, P = 0.006) groups had higher brain age index values. The adverse effects of the apolipoprotein E genotype on brain age index values increased with age in the Korean group alone (ɛ2 carriers × age, β = 0.085, P = 0.009; ɛ4 carriers × age, β = 0.100, P < 0.001). The apolipoprotein E genotype, age and ethnicity showed a three-way interaction with the brain age index (ɛ2 carriers × age × ethnicity, β = 0.091, P = 0.022; ɛ4 carriers × age × ethnicity, β = 0.093, P = 0.003). The effects of apolipoprotein E on the brain age index values were more pronounced in individuals with hypertension in the Korean group alone (ɛ4 carriers × hypertension, β = 0.777, P = 0.038). The apolipoprotein E genotype, age and ethnicity showed a three-way interaction with the brain age index (ɛ4 carriers × hypertension × ethnicity, β=1.091, P = 0.014). We highlight the ethnic differences in the combined effects of the apolipoprotein E ɛ4 genotype and vascular risk factors on accelerated brain age. These findings emphasize the need for ethnicity-specific strategies to mitigate apolipoprotein E ɛ4-related brain aging in cognitively unimpaired individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanghee Im
- USC Steven Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
| | - Sung Hoon Kang
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
- Department of Neurology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 08308, Korea
| | - Gilsoon Park
- USC Steven Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Heejin Yoo
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Min Young Chun
- Department of Neurology, Yongin Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Yongin 16995, Korea
| | - Chi-Hun Kim
- Department of Neurology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang 14068, Korea
| | - Chae Jung Park
- Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang 10408, Korea
| | - Jun Pyo Kim
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Hyemin Jang
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Hee Jin Kim
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Kyungmi Oh
- Department of Neurology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 08308, Korea
| | - Seong-Beom Koh
- Department of Neurology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul 08308, Korea
| | - Jong-Min Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
| | - Duk L Na
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
| | - Sang Won Seo
- Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 06351, Korea
- Department of Digital Health, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06355, Korea
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06355, Korea
- Alzheimer’s Disease Convergence Research Center, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul 06351, Korea
- Department of Intelligent Precision Healthcare Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - Hosung Kim
- USC Steven Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
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Beck D, de Lange AG, Gurholt TP, Voldsbekk I, Maximov II, Subramaniapillai S, Schindler L, Hindley G, Leonardsen EH, Rahman Z, van der Meer D, Korbmacher M, Linge J, Leinhard OD, Kalleberg KT, Engvig A, Sønderby I, Andreassen OA, Westlye LT. Dissecting unique and common variance across body and brain health indicators using age prediction. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26685. [PMID: 38647042 PMCID: PMC11034003 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26685] [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: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Ageing is a heterogeneous multisystem process involving different rates of decline in physiological integrity across biological systems. The current study dissects the unique and common variance across body and brain health indicators and parses inter-individual heterogeneity in the multisystem ageing process. Using machine-learning regression models on the UK Biobank data set (N = 32,593, age range 44.6-82.3, mean age 64.1 years), we first estimated tissue-specific brain age for white and gray matter based on diffusion and T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, respectively. Next, bodily health traits, including cardiometabolic, anthropometric, and body composition measures of adipose and muscle tissue from bioimpedance and body MRI, were combined to predict 'body age'. The results showed that the body age model demonstrated comparable age prediction accuracy to models trained solely on brain MRI data. The correlation between body age and brain age predictions was 0.62 for the T1 and 0.64 for the diffusion-based model, indicating a degree of unique variance in brain and bodily ageing processes. Bayesian multilevel modelling carried out to quantify the associations between health traits and predicted age discrepancies showed that higher systolic blood pressure and higher muscle-fat infiltration were related to older-appearing body age compared to brain age. Conversely, higher hand-grip strength and muscle volume were related to a younger-appearing body age. Our findings corroborate the common notion of a close connection between somatic and brain health. However, they also suggest that health traits may differentially influence age predictions beyond what is captured by the brain imaging data, potentially contributing to heterogeneous ageing rates across biological systems and individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dani Beck
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- Department of Mental Health and Substance AbuseDiakonhjemmet HospitalOsloNorway
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Ann‐Marie G. de Lange
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- LREN, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical NeurosciencesCHUV and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Tiril P. Gurholt
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Irene Voldsbekk
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Ivan I. Maximov
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- Department of Health and FunctioningWestern Norway University of Applied SciencesBergenNorway
| | - Sivaniya Subramaniapillai
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- LREN, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical NeurosciencesCHUV and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Louise Schindler
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- LREN, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical NeurosciencesCHUV and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Guy Hindley
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Esten H. Leonardsen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Zillur Rahman
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Dennis van der Meer
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life SciencesMaastricht UniversityMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Max Korbmacher
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- Department of Health and FunctioningWestern Norway University of Applied SciencesBergenNorway
| | - Jennifer Linge
- AMRA Medical ABLinköpingSweden
- Division of Diagnostics and Specialist Medicine, Department of Health, Medicine and Caring SciencesLinköping UniversityLinköpingSweden
| | - Olof D. Leinhard
- AMRA Medical ABLinköpingSweden
- Division of Diagnostics and Specialist Medicine, Department of Health, Medicine and Caring SciencesLinköping UniversityLinköpingSweden
| | | | - Andreas Engvig
- Department of Endocrinology, Obesity and Preventive Medicine, Section of Preventive CardiologyOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
| | - Ida Sønderby
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- Department of Medical GeneticsOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental DisordersUniversity of Oslo
| | - Ole A. Andreassen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental DisordersUniversity of Oslo
| | - Lars T. Westlye
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and AddictionOslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of OsloOsloNorway
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental DisordersUniversity of Oslo
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Xiong Y, Cheng Q, Li Y, Han Y, Sun X, Liu L. Vimar/RAP1GDS1 promotes acceleration of brain aging after flies and mice reach middle age. Commun Biol 2023; 6:420. [PMID: 37061660 PMCID: PMC10105717 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04822-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain aging may accelerate after rodents reach middle age. However, the endogenous mediator that promotes this acceleration is unknown. We predict that the mediator may be expressed after an organism reaches middle age and dysregulates mitochondrial function. In the neurons of wild-type Drosophila (flies), we observed that mitochondria were fragmented in aged flies, and this fragmentation was associated with mitochondrial calcium overload. In a previous study, we found that mitochondrial fragmentation induced by calcium overload was reversed by the loss of Vimar, which forms a complex with Miro. Interestingly, Vimar expression was increased after the flies reached middle age. Overexpression of Vimar in neurons resulted in premature aging and mitochondrial calcium overload. In contrast, downregulation of Vimar in flies older than middle age promoted healthy aging. As the mouse homolog of Vimar, RAP1GDS1 expression was found to be increased after mice reached middle age; RAP1GDS1-transgenic and RAP1GDS1-knockdown mice displayed similar responses to flies with overexpressed and reduced Vimar expression, respectively. This research provides genetic evidence of a conserved endogenous mediator that promotes accelerated brain aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xiong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology School of Basic Medicine, Capital Medical University, Youanmen, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Qi Cheng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology School of Basic Medicine, Capital Medical University, Youanmen, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Yajie Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology School of Basic Medicine, Capital Medical University, Youanmen, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Yanping Han
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology School of Basic Medicine, Capital Medical University, Youanmen, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Xin Sun
- School of Pharmaceutical Science, Jilin Medical University, Jilin City, 132013, China.
| | - Lei Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology School of Basic Medicine, Capital Medical University, Youanmen, Beijing, 100069, China.
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Levakov G, Kaplan A, Yaskolka Meir A, Rinott E, Tsaban G, Zelicha H, Blüher M, Ceglarek U, Stumvoll M, Shelef I, Avidan G, Shai I. The effect of weight loss following 18 months of lifestyle intervention on brain age assessed with resting-state functional connectivity. eLife 2023; 12:e83604. [PMID: 37022140 PMCID: PMC10174688 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Obesity negatively impacts multiple bodily systems, including the central nervous system. Retrospective studies that estimated chronological age from neuroimaging have found accelerated brain aging in obesity, but it is unclear how this estimation would be affected by weight loss following a lifestyle intervention. Methods In a sub-study of 102 participants of the Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial Polyphenols Unprocessed Study (DIRECT-PLUS) trial, we tested the effect of weight loss following 18 months of lifestyle intervention on predicted brain age based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-assessed resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC). We further examined how dynamics in multiple health factors, including anthropometric measurements, blood biomarkers, and fat deposition, can account for changes in brain age. Results To establish our method, we first demonstrated that our model could successfully predict chronological age from RSFC in three cohorts (n=291;358;102). We then found that among the DIRECT-PLUS participants, 1% of body weight loss resulted in an 8.9 months' attenuation of brain age. Attenuation of brain age was significantly associated with improved liver biomarkers, decreased liver fat, and visceral and deep subcutaneous adipose tissues after 18 months of intervention. Finally, we showed that lower consumption of processed food, sweets and beverages were associated with attenuated brain age. Conclusions Successful weight loss following lifestyle intervention might have a beneficial effect on the trajectory of brain aging. Funding The German Research Foundation (DFG), German Research Foundation - project number 209933838 - SFB 1052; B11, Israel Ministry of Health grant 87472511 (to I Shai); Israel Ministry of Science and Technology grant 3-13604 (to I Shai); and the California Walnuts Commission 09933838 SFB 105 (to I Shai).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gidon Levakov
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer ShevaIsrael
| | - Alon Kaplan
- The Health & Nutrition Innovative International Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer ShevaIsrael
- Department of Internal Medicine D, Chaim Sheba Medical CenterRamat-GanIsrael
| | - Anat Yaskolka Meir
- The Health & Nutrition Innovative International Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer ShevaIsrael
| | - Ehud Rinott
- The Health & Nutrition Innovative International Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer ShevaIsrael
| | - Gal Tsaban
- The Health & Nutrition Innovative International Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer ShevaIsrael
| | - Hila Zelicha
- The Health & Nutrition Innovative International Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer ShevaIsrael
| | | | - Uta Ceglarek
- Department of Medicine, University of LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | | | - Ilan Shelef
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Soroka Medical CenterBeer ShevaIsrael
| | - Galia Avidan
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer ShevaIsrael
| | - Iris Shai
- The Health & Nutrition Innovative International Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBeer ShevaIsrael
- Department of Medicine, University of LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
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Xiong M, Lin L, Jin Y, Kang W, Wu S, Sun S. Comparison of Machine Learning Models for Brain Age Prediction Using Six Imaging Modalities on Middle-Aged and Older Adults. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:3622. [PMID: 37050682 PMCID: PMC10098634 DOI: 10.3390/s23073622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Machine learning (ML) has transformed neuroimaging research by enabling accurate predictions and feature extraction from large datasets. In this study, we investigate the application of six ML algorithms (Lasso, relevance vector regression, support vector regression, extreme gradient boosting, category boost, and multilayer perceptron) to predict brain age for middle-aged and older adults, which is a crucial area of research in neuroimaging. Despite the plethora of proposed ML models, there is no clear consensus on how to achieve better performance in brain age prediction for this population. Our study stands out by evaluating the impact of both ML algorithms and image modalities on brain age prediction performance using a large cohort of cognitively normal adults aged 44.6 to 82.3 years old (N = 27,842) with six image modalities. We found that the predictive performance of brain age is more reliant on the image modalities used than the ML algorithms employed. Specifically, our study highlights the superior performance of T1-weighted MRI and diffusion-weighted imaging and demonstrates that multi-modality-based brain age prediction significantly enhances performance compared to unimodality. Moreover, we identified Lasso as the most accurate ML algorithm for predicting brain age, achieving the lowest mean absolute error in both single-modality and multi-modality predictions. Additionally, Lasso also ranked highest in a comprehensive evaluation of the relationship between BrainAGE and the five frequently mentioned BrainAGE-related factors. Notably, our study also shows that ensemble learning outperforms Lasso when computational efficiency is not a concern. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the development of accurate and reliable brain age prediction models for middle-aged and older adults, with significant implications for clinical practice and neuroimaging research. Our findings highlight the importance of image modality selection and emphasize Lasso as a promising ML algorithm for brain age prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Xiong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; (M.X.); (Y.J.); (W.K.); (S.W.); (S.S.)
| | - Lan Lin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; (M.X.); (Y.J.); (W.K.); (S.W.); (S.S.)
- Intelligent Physiological Measurement and Clinical Translation, Beijing International Base for Scientific and Technological Cooperation, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yue Jin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; (M.X.); (Y.J.); (W.K.); (S.W.); (S.S.)
| | - Wenjie Kang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; (M.X.); (Y.J.); (W.K.); (S.W.); (S.S.)
| | - Shuicai Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; (M.X.); (Y.J.); (W.K.); (S.W.); (S.S.)
- Intelligent Physiological Measurement and Clinical Translation, Beijing International Base for Scientific and Technological Cooperation, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Shen Sun
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; (M.X.); (Y.J.); (W.K.); (S.W.); (S.S.)
- Intelligent Physiological Measurement and Clinical Translation, Beijing International Base for Scientific and Technological Cooperation, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
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Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Machine Learning for Biomarker Development. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24031911. [PMID: 36768231 PMCID: PMC9915541 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24031911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows the in vivo imaging of pathological white matter alterations, either with unbiased voxel-wise or hypothesis-guided tract-based analysis. Alterations of diffusion metrics are indicative of the cerebral status of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the individual level. Using machine learning (ML) models to analyze complex and high-dimensional neuroimaging data sets, new opportunities for DTI-based biomarkers in ALS arise. This review aims to summarize how different ML models based on DTI parameters can be used for supervised diagnostic classifications and to provide individualized patient stratification with unsupervised approaches in ALS. To capture the whole spectrum of neuropathological signatures, DTI might be combined with additional modalities, such as structural T1w 3-D MRI in ML models. To further improve the power of ML in ALS and enable the application of deep learning models, standardized DTI protocols and multi-center collaborations are needed to validate multimodal DTI biomarkers. The application of ML models to multiparametric MRI/multimodal DTI-based data sets will enable a detailed assessment of neuropathological signatures in patients with ALS and the development of novel neuroimaging biomarkers that could be used in the clinical workup.
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Abram SV, Roach BJ, Hua JPY, Han LKM, Mathalon DH, Ford JM, Fryer SL. Advanced brain age correlates with greater rumination and less mindfulness in schizophrenia. Neuroimage Clin 2023; 37:103301. [PMID: 36586360 PMCID: PMC9830317 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individual variation in brain aging trajectories is linked with several physical and mental health outcomes. Greater stress levels, worry, and rumination correspond with advanced brain age, while other individual characteristics, like mindfulness, may be protective of brain health. Multiple lines of evidence point to advanced brain aging in schizophrenia (i.e., neural age estimate > chronological age). Whether psychological dimensions such as mindfulness, rumination, and perceived stress contribute to brain aging in schizophrenia is unknown. METHODS We estimated brain age from high-resolution anatomical scans in 54 healthy controls (HC) and 52 individuals with schizophrenia (SZ) and computed the brain predicted age difference (BrainAGE-diff), i.e., the delta between estimated brain age and chronological age. Emotional well-being summary scores were empirically derived to reflect individual differences in trait mindfulness, rumination, and perceived stress. Core analyses evaluated relationships between BrainAGE-diff and emotional well-being, testing for slopes differences across groups. RESULTS HC showed higher emotional well-being (greater mindfulness and less rumination/stress), relative to SZ. We observed a significant group difference in the relationship between BrainAge-diff and emotional well-being, explained by BrainAGE-diff negatively correlating with emotional well-being scores in SZ, and not in HC. That is, SZ with younger appearing brains (predicted age < chronological age) had emotional summary scores that were more like HC, a relationship that endured after accounting for several demographic and clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS These data reveal clinically relevant aspects of brain age heterogeneity among SZ and point to case-control differences in the relationship between advanced brain aging and emotional well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha V Abram
- Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States; Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Brian J Roach
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Jessica P Y Hua
- Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Centers, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States; Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Laura K M Han
- Orygen, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Daniel H Mathalon
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Judith M Ford
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Susanna L Fryer
- Mental Health Service, Veterans Affairs San Francisco Healthcare System, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.
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8
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Li G, Li K. Turning Point of Cognitive Decline for Chinese Older Adults from a Longitudinal Analysis: Protective Factors and Risk Factors. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:2304. [PMID: 36421628 PMCID: PMC9690061 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10112304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore the turning point of cognitive decline in Chinese older adults and to explore the influencing factors including covariates. PARTICIPANTS Aged 65 and older whose cognitive function was normal at their first test. METHODS a secondary analysis that identified participants from the database of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Cohort-sequential design was used to categorize the data by age (rather than study wave), including the follow-up data of Chinese older adults aged 65-79 years and spanning 14 years. Cognitive function in 1278 participants was assessed using the Chinese Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE) in five waves over 14 years. Piecewise latent growth curve modeling was used to analyze the data. RESULTS (1) The turning point of cognitive decline in Chinese older adults occurs between the ages of 68 and 70. (2) There are statistically significant individual differences in the initial level of cognitive function and the growth rate of cognitive function before and after the transition stage. (3) Factors influencing cognitive function include residence, education level, smoking, drinking, exercise, leisure activities, social activities, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and Instrumental Activities for Daily Living (IADL). (4) Exercise and ADL are the main protective factors, while smoking and drinking are the main risk factors. CONCLUSIONS There is a transition stage (68-70) in the decline of cognitive function in Chinese older adults and four main factors (such as smoking, drinking, exercise and ADL) have impacts on the cognitive decline. We should strengthen these protective factors (exercise and ADL) for the cognitive decline of older adults and avoid these risk factors (smoking, drinking). To prevent the decline of the cognitive function of older adults, the government should build more places conducive to activities for older adults and actively encourage older adults to improve their physical activity level. Given our findings, public health interventions centered on alcohol and tobacco cessation in older adults should be governmentally endorsed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangming Li
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Kunmei Li
- School of Information, Guangdong Communication Polytechnic, Guangzhou 510650, China
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Zhang Z, Jiang R, Zhang C, Williams B, Jiang Z, Li CT, Chazot P, Pavese N, Bouridane A, Beghdadi A. Robust Brain Age Estimation based on sMRI via Nonlinear Age-Adaptive Ensemble Learning. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2022; 30:2146-2156. [PMID: 35830403 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2022.3190467] [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: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Precise prediction on brain age is urgently needed by many biomedical areas including mental rehabilitation prognosis as well as various medicine or treatment trials. People began to realize that contrasting physical (real) age and predicted brain age can help to highlight brain issues and evaluate if patients' brains are healthy or not. Such age prediction is often challenging for single model-based prediction, while the conditions of brains vary drastically over age. In this work, we present an age-adaptive ensemble model that is based on the combination of four different machine learning algorithms, including a support vector machine (SVR), a convolutional neural network (CNN) model, and the popular GoogLeNet and ResNet deep networks. The ensemble model proposed here is nonlinearly adaptive, where age is taken as a key factor in the nonlinear combination of various single-algorithm-based independent models. In our age-adaptive ensemble method, the weights of each model are learned automatically as nonlinear functions over age instead of fixed values, while brain age estimation is based on such an age-adaptive integration of various single models. The quality of the model is quantified by the mean absolute errors (MAE) and spearman correlation between the predicted age and the actual age, with the least MAE and the highest Spearman correlation representing the highest accuracy in age prediction. By testing on the Predictive Analysis Challenge 2019 (PAC 2019) dataset, our novel ensemble model has achieved a MAE down to 3.19, which is a significantly increased accuracy in this brain age competition. If deployed in the real world, our novel ensemble model having an improved accuracy could potentially help doctors to identify the risk of brain diseases more accurately and quickly, thus helping pharmaceutical companies develop drugs or treatments precisely, and potential offer a new powerful tool for researchers in the field of brain science.
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10
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Zeighami Y, Dadar M, Daoust J, Pelletier M, Biertho L, Bouvet-Bouchard L, Fulton S, Tchernof A, Dagher A, Richard D, Evans A, Michaud A. Impact of Weight Loss on Brain Age: Improved Brain Health Following Bariatric Surgery. Neuroimage 2022; 259:119415. [PMID: 35760293 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119415] [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: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals living with obesity tend to have increased brain age, reflecting poorer brain health likely due to grey and white matter atrophy related to obesity. However, it is unclear if older brain age associated with obesity can be reversed following weight loss and cardiometabolic health improvement. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of weight loss and cardiometabolic improvement following bariatric surgery on brain health, as measured by change in brain age estimated based on voxel-based morphometry (VBM) measurements. We used three distinct datasets to perform this study: 1) CamCAN dataset to train the brain age prediction model, 2) Human Connectome Project (HCP) dataset to investigate whether individuals with obesity have greater brain age than individuals with normal weight, and 3) pre-surgery, as well as 4, 12, and 24 month post-surgery data from participants (n=87, age: 44.0±9.2 years, BMI: 43.9±4.2 kg/m2) who underwent a bariatric surgery to investigate whether weight loss and cardiometabolic improvement as a result of bariatric surgery lowers the brain age. As expected, our results from the HCP dataset showed a higher brain age for individuals with obesity compared to individuals with normal weight (T-value = 7.08, p-value < 0.0001). We also found significant improvement in brain health, indicated by a decrease of 2.9 and 5.6 years in adjusted delta age at 12 and 24 months following bariatric surgery compared to baseline (p-value < 0.0005 for both). While the overall effect seemed to be driven by a global change across all brain regions and not from a specific region, our exploratory analysis showed lower delta age in certain brain regions (mainly in somatomotor, visual, and ventral attention networks) at 24 months. This reduced age was also associated with post-surgery improvements in BMI, systolic/diastolic blood pressure, and HOMA-IR (T-valueBMI=4.29, T-valueSBP=4.67, T-valueDBP=4.12, T-valueHOMA-IR=3.16, all p-values < 0.05). In conclusion, these results suggest that obesity-related brain health abnormalities (as measured by delta age) might be reversed by bariatric surgery-induced weight loss and widespread improvements in cardiometabolic alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yashar Zeighami
- Douglas Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Mahsa Dadar
- Douglas Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Justine Daoust
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Mélissa Pelletier
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Laurent Biertho
- Département de chirurgie générale, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Léonie Bouvet-Bouchard
- Département de chirurgie générale, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Stephanie Fulton
- Centre de Recherche du CHUM, Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal, Montreal Diabetes Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - André Tchernof
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Alain Dagher
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Denis Richard
- Département de chirurgie générale, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Alan Evans
- Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Andréanne Michaud
- Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
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11
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Zhu CE, Zhou L, Zhang X. Effects of Leisure Activities on the Cognitive Ability of Older Adults: A Latent Variable Growth Model Analysis. Front Psychol 2022; 13:838878. [PMID: 35496137 PMCID: PMC9045058 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.838878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on the data of four periods of CLHLS (2008, 2011, 2014, 2018), the latent variable growth model (LGCM) was applied to 2344 older adults who completed four follow-up surveys, to study the trajectory of leisure activities and cognitive ability and explore the relationship between leisure activities and cognitive ability of older adults. The results showed that: (1) leisure activities and cognitive ability of older adults showed a non-linear downward trend; (2) leisure activities significantly and positively predicted the cognitive ability of older adults at every time point; (3) the initial level of leisure activity positively predicted the initial level of cognitive ability but negatively predicted the rate of cognitive decline; In addition, cognitive activities had a greater effect on cognitive ability than non-exercise physical activities; (4) the rate of decline of leisure activities also significantly and positively predicted the rate of decline of cognitive ability; (5) cross-lagged regression analysis further suggested the overall positive predictive effect of leisure activity on cognitive ability; (6) overall, education level had a significant contribution to cognitive ability, and the higher the education level, the slower the decline of cognitive ability; and (7) smoking could promote cognitive ability in older adults and no significant effect was found between alcohol drinking and cognitive ability. Accordingly, the government should encourage older adults to do more leisure activities, especially the cognitive activity, to effectively prevent cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lulin Zhou
- Department of Management, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang City, China
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12
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Wrigglesworth J, Harding IH, Ward P, Woods RL, Storey E, Fitzgibbon B, Egan G, Murray A, Shah RC, Trevaks RE, Ward S, McNeil JJ, Ryan J. Factors Influencing Change in Brain-Predicted Age Difference in a Cohort of Healthy Older Individuals. J Alzheimers Dis Rep 2022; 6:163-176. [PMID: 35591948 PMCID: PMC9108625 DOI: 10.3233/adr-220011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: There is considerable variability in the rate at which we age biologically, and the brain is particularly susceptible to the effects of aging. Objective: We examined the test-retest reliability of brain age at one- and three-year intervals and identified characteristics that predict the longitudinal change in brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD, defined by deviations of brain age from chronological age). Methods: T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were acquired at three timepoints from 497 community-dwelling adults (73.8±3.5 years at baseline, 48% were female). Brain age was estimated from whole brain volume, using a publicly available algorithm trained on an independent dataset. Linear mixed models were used, adjusting for sex, age, and age2. Results: Excellent retest reliability of brain age was observed over one and three years. We identified a significant sex difference in brain-PAD, where a faster rate of brain aging (worsening in brain age relative to chronological age) was observed in men, and this finding replicated in secondary analyses. The effect size, however, was relatively weak, equivalent to 0.16 years difference per year. A higher score in physical health related quality of life and verbal fluency were associated with a faster rate of brain aging, while depression was linked to a slower rate of brain aging, but these findings were not robust. Conclusion: Our study provides consistent evidence that older men have slightly faster brain atrophy than women. Given the sparsity of longitudinal research on brain age in older populations, future prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo Wrigglesworth
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ian H. Harding
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Phillip Ward
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Robyn L. Woods
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Elsdon Storey
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bernadette Fitzgibbon
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Gary Egan
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Anne Murray
- Berman Center for Outcomes & Clinical Research, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Hennepin Healthcare, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Raj C. Shah
- Department of Family Medicine and the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ruth E. Trevaks
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stephanie Ward
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia
| | - John J. McNeil
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Joanne Ryan
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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13
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de Lange AG, Anatürk M, Rokicki J, Han LKM, Franke K, Alnæs D, Ebmeier KP, Draganski B, Kaufmann T, Westlye LT, Hahn T, Cole JH. Mind the gap: Performance metric evaluation in brain-age prediction. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:3113-3129. [PMID: 35312210 PMCID: PMC9188975 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Estimating age based on neuroimaging-derived data has become a popular approach to developing markers for brain integrity and health. While a variety of machine-learning algorithms can provide accurate predictions of age based on brain characteristics, there is significant variation in model accuracy reported across studies. We predicted age in two population-based datasets, and assessed the effects of age range, sample size and age-bias correction on the model performance metrics Pearson's correlation coefficient (r), the coefficient of determination (R2 ), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE). The results showed that these metrics vary considerably depending on cohort age range; r and R2 values are lower when measured in samples with a narrower age range. RMSE and MAE are also lower in samples with a narrower age range due to smaller errors/brain age delta values when predictions are closer to the mean age of the group. Across subsets with different age ranges, performance metrics improve with increasing sample size. Performance metrics further vary depending on prediction variance as well as mean age difference between training and test sets, and age-bias corrected metrics indicate high accuracy-also for models showing poor initial performance. In conclusion, performance metrics used for evaluating age prediction models depend on cohort and study-specific data characteristics, and cannot be directly compared across different studies. Since age-bias corrected metrics generally indicate high accuracy, even for poorly performing models, inspection of uncorrected model results provides important information about underlying model attributes such as prediction variance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann‐Marie G. de Lange
- LREN, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical NeurosciencesLausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of LausanneLausanne,Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo,Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxford
| | - Melis Anatürk
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxford,Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer ScienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Jaroslav Rokicki
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University HospitalOsloNorway,Centre of Research and Education in Forensic PsychiatryOslo University HospitalOsloNorway
| | - Laura K. M. Han
- Department of PsychiatryAmsterdam University Medical Centers, Vrije Universiteit and GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam NeuroscienceAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Katja Franke
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of NeurologyJena University HospitalJenaGermany
| | - Dag Alnæs
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University HospitalOsloNorway
| | | | - Bogdan Draganski
- LREN, Centre for Research in Neurosciences, Department of Clinical NeurosciencesLausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of LausanneLausanne,Department of NeurologyMax Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzigGermany
| | - Tobias Kaufmann
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University HospitalOsloNorway,Tübingen Center for Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Lars T. Westlye
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo,NORMENT, Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University HospitalOsloNorway,KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental DisordersUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Tim Hahn
- Institute of Translational PsychiatryUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany
| | - James H. Cole
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer ScienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK,Dementia Research Centre, Queen Square Institute of NeurologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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14
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Adipose tissue distribution from body MRI is associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal brain age in adults. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 33:102949. [PMID: 35114636 PMCID: PMC8814666 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.102949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
There is an intimate body-brain connection in ageing, and obesity is a key risk factor for poor cardiometabolic health and neurodegenerative conditions. We investigated adipose tissue distribution from body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in relation to brain structure using MRI-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The results indicated older-appearing brains in people with higher measures of adipose tissue, and accelerated ageing over the course of the study period in people with higher measures of adipose tissue.
There is an intimate body-brain connection in ageing, and obesity is a key risk factor for poor cardiometabolic health and neurodegenerative conditions. Although research has demonstrated deleterious effects of obesity on brain structure and function, the majority of studies have used conventional measures such as waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, and body mass index. While sensitive to gross features of body composition, such global anthropometric features fail to describe regional differences in body fat distribution and composition. The sample consisted of baseline brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquired from 790 healthy participants aged 18–94 years (mean ± standard deviation (SD) at baseline: 46.8 ± 16.3), and follow-up brain MRI collected from 272 of those individuals (two time-points with 19.7 months interval, on average (min = 9.8, max = 35.6). Of the 790 included participants, cross-sectional body MRI data was available from a subgroup of 286 participants, with age range 19–86 (mean = 57.6, SD = 15.6). Adopting a mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal design, we investigated cross-sectional body magnetic resonance imaging measures of adipose tissue distribution in relation to longitudinal brain structure using MRI-based morphometry (T1) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We estimated tissue-specific brain age at two time points and performed Bayesian multilevel modelling to investigate the associations between adipose measures at follow-up and brain age gap (BAG) – the difference between actual age and the prediction of the brain’s biological age – at baseline and follow-up. We also tested for interactions between BAG and both time and age on each adipose measure. The results showed credible associations between T1-based BAG and liver fat, muscle fat infiltration (MFI), and weight-to-muscle ratio (WMR), indicating older-appearing brains in people with higher measures of adipose tissue. Longitudinal evidence supported interaction effects between time and MFI and WMR on T1-based BAG, indicating accelerated ageing over the course of the study period in people with higher measures of adipose tissue. The results show that specific measures of fat distribution are associated with brain ageing and that different compartments of adipose tissue may be differentially linked with increased brain ageing, with potential to identify key processes involved in age-related transdiagnostic disease processes.
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15
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Beck D, de Lange AG, Pedersen ML, Alnæs D, Maximov II, Voldsbekk I, Richard G, Sanders A, Ulrichsen KM, Dørum ES, Kolskår KK, Høgestøl EA, Steen NE, Djurovic S, Andreassen OA, Nordvik JE, Kaufmann T, Westlye LT. Cardiometabolic risk factors associated with brain age and accelerate brain ageing. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:700-720. [PMID: 34626047 PMCID: PMC8720200 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The structure and integrity of the ageing brain is interchangeably linked to physical health, and cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRs) are associated with dementia and other brain disorders. In this mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal study (interval mean = 19.7 months), including 790 healthy individuals (mean age = 46.7 years, 53% women), we investigated CMRs and health indicators including anthropometric measures, lifestyle factors, and blood biomarkers in relation to brain structure using MRI-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We performed tissue specific brain age prediction using machine learning and performed Bayesian multilevel modeling to assess changes in each CMR over time, their respective association with brain age gap (BAG), and their interaction effects with time and age on the tissue-specific BAGs. The results showed credible associations between DTI-based BAG and blood levels of phosphate and mean cell volume (MCV), and between T1-based BAG and systolic blood pressure, smoking, pulse, and C-reactive protein (CRP), indicating older-appearing brains in people with higher cardiometabolic risk (smoking, higher blood pressure and pulse, low-grade inflammation). Longitudinal evidence supported interactions between both BAGs and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and between DTI-based BAG and systolic blood pressure and smoking, indicating accelerated ageing in people with higher cardiometabolic risk (smoking, higher blood pressure, and WHR). The results demonstrate that cardiometabolic risk factors are associated with brain ageing. While randomized controlled trials are needed to establish causality, our results indicate that public health initiatives and treatment strategies targeting modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors may also improve risk trajectories and delay brain ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dani Beck
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
- Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HTNesodden
| | - Ann‐Marie G. de Lange
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- LREN, Centre for Research in Neurosciences‐Department of Clinical NeurosciencesCHUV and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Mads L. Pedersen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
| | - Dag Alnæs
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Bjørknes CollegeOsloNorway
| | - Ivan I. Maximov
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of Health and FunctioningWestern Norway University of Applied SciencesBergenNorway
| | - Irene Voldsbekk
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
| | - Geneviève Richard
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
| | - Anne‐Marthe Sanders
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
- Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HTNesodden
| | - Kristine M. Ulrichsen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
- Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HTNesodden
| | - Erlend S. Dørum
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
- Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HTNesodden
| | - Knut K. Kolskår
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
- Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital HTNesodden
| | - Einar A. Høgestøl
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
| | - Nils Eiel Steen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
| | - Srdjan Djurovic
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
| | - Ole A. Andreassen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental DisordersUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | | | - Tobias Kaufmann
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of Psychiatry and PsychotherapyUniversity of TübingenTubingenGermany
| | - Lars T. Westlye
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of OsloOslo
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental DisordersUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
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16
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Neuroimaging-derived brain age is associated with life satisfaction in cognitively unimpaired elderly: A community-based study. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:25. [PMID: 35058431 PMCID: PMC8776862 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01793-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
With the widespread increase in elderly populations, the quality of life and mental health in old age are issues of great interest. The human brain changes with age, and the brain aging process is biologically complex and varies widely among individuals. In this cross-sectional study, to clarify the effects of mental health, as well as common metabolic factors (e.g., diabetes) on healthy brain aging in late life, we analyzed structural brain MRI findings to examine the relationship between predicted brain age and life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, resilience, and lifestyle-related factors in elderly community-living individuals with unimpaired cognitive function. We extracted data from a community-based cohort study in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo. T1-weighted images of 773 elderly participants aged ≥65 years were analyzed, and the predicted brain age of each subject was calculated by machine learning from anatomically standardized gray-matter images. Specifically, we examined the relationships between the brain-predicted age difference (Brain-PAD: real age subtracted from predicted age) and life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, resilience, alcohol consumption, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Brain-PAD showed significant negative correlations with life satisfaction (Spearman's rs= -0.102, p = 0.005) and resilience (rs= -0.105, p = 0.004). In a multiple regression analysis, life satisfaction (p = 0.038), alcohol use (p = 0.040), and diabetes (p = 0.002) were independently correlated with Brain-PAD. Thus, in the cognitively unimpaired elderly, higher life satisfaction was associated with a 'younger' brain, whereas diabetes and alcohol use had negative impacts on life satisfaction. Subjective life satisfaction, as well as the prevention of diabetes and alcohol use, may protect the brain from accelerated aging.
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17
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Jawinski P, Markett S, Drewelies J, Düzel S, Demuth I, Steinhagen-Thiessen E, Wagner GG, Gerstorf D, Lindenberger U, Gaser C, Kühn S. Linking Brain Age Gap to Mental and Physical Health in the Berlin Aging Study II. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:791222. [PMID: 35936763 PMCID: PMC9355695 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.791222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
From a biological perspective, humans differ in the speed they age, and this may manifest in both mental and physical health disparities. The discrepancy between an individual's biological and chronological age of the brain ("brain age gap") can be assessed by applying machine learning techniques to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data. Here, we examined the links between brain age gap and a broad range of cognitive, affective, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and physical health variables in up to 335 adults of the Berlin Aging Study II. Brain age gap was assessed using a validated prediction model that we previously trained on MRI scans of 32,634 UK Biobank individuals. Our statistical analyses revealed overall stronger evidence for a link between higher brain age gap and less favorable health characteristics than expected under the null hypothesis of no effect, with 80% of the tested associations showing hypothesis-consistent effect directions and 23% reaching nominal significance. The most compelling support was observed for a cluster covering both cognitive performance variables (episodic memory, working memory, fluid intelligence, digit symbol substitution test) and socioeconomic variables (years of education and household income). Furthermore, we observed higher brain age gap to be associated with heavy episodic drinking, higher blood pressure, and higher blood glucose. In sum, our results point toward multifaceted links between brain age gap and human health. Understanding differences in biological brain aging may therefore have broad implications for future informed interventions to preserve mental and physical health in old age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Jawinski
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sebastian Markett
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanna Drewelies
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sandra Düzel
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ilja Demuth
- Division of Lipid Metabolism, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BCRT-Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen
- Division of Lipid Metabolism, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gert G Wagner
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.,German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), Berlin, Germany.,Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Denis Gerstorf
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.,German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Gaser
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Simone Kühn
- Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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18
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Wang M, Ren Q, Shi Y, Shu H, Liu D, Gu L, Xie C, Zhang Z, Wu T, Wang Z. The effect of Alzheimer's disease risk factors on brain aging in normal Chineses: Cognitive aging and cognitive reserve. Neurosci Lett 2021; 771:136398. [PMID: 34923042 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Aging has been recognized as a major driving force of the Alzheimer's disease's (AD) progression, however, the relationship between brain aging and AD is still unclear. There is also a lack of studies investigating the influence of AD risk factors on brain aging in cognitively normal people. Here, the "Brain Age Gap Estimation" (BrainAGE) framework was applied to investigate the effects of AD risk factors on individual brain aging. Across a total of 165 cognitively normal elderly subjects, although no significant difference was observed in the BrainAGE scores among the three groups, AD risk dose (i.e., the number of AD risk factors) is tend to associated with an increased BrainAGE scores (high-risk > middle risk > low risk). Female exhibited more advanced brain aging (P = 0.004), and higher education years were associated with preserved brain aging (P < 0.001). APOE-ɛ4 (P = 0.846) and family history (FH) of dementia (P = 0.209) did not increase BrainAGE scores. When comparing 52 aMCI patients with 38 cognitively normal controls from ADNI dataset, aMCI patients showed significantly increased BrainAGE scores. BrainAGE scores were negatively correlated with CSF Aβ42 levels in the aMCI group (r = -0.275, P = 0.048). With an accuracy of 68.9%, BrainAGE outperformed APOE-ɛ4 and hippocampus gray matter volume (GMV) in predicting aMCI. In conclusion, AD is independently associated with structural changes in the brain that reflect advanced aging. Potentially, BrainAGE combined with APOE-ɛ4 and hippocampus GMV could be used as a pre-screening tool in early-stage AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengxue Wang
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Qingguo Ren
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
| | - Yachen Shi
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Hao Shu
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Duan Liu
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Lihua Gu
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Chunming Xie
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Zhijun Zhang
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Tiange Wu
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Zan Wang
- School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Neurology, Affiliated ZhongDa Hospital of Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China.
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19
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Ballester PL, Suh JS, Nogovitsyn N, Hassel S, Strother SC, Arnott SR, Minuzzi L, Sassi RB, Lam RW, Milev R, Müller DJ, Taylor VH, Kennedy SH, Frey BN. Accelerated brain aging in major depressive disorder and antidepressant treatment response: A CAN-BIND report. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 32:102864. [PMID: 34710675 PMCID: PMC8556529 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Previous studies suggest that major depressive disorder (MDD) may be associated with volumetric indications of accelerated brain aging. This study investigated neuroanatomical signs of accelerated aging in MDD and evaluated whether a brain age gap is associated with antidepressant response. METHODS Individuals in a major depressive episode received escitalopram treatment (10-20 mg/d) for 8 weeks. Depression severity was assessed at baseline and at weeks 8 and 16 using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Response to treatment was characterized by a significant reduction in the MADRS (≥50%). Nonresponders received adjunctive aripiprazole treatment (2-10 mg/d) for a further 8 weeks. The brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD) at baseline was determined using machine learning methods trained on 3377 healthy individuals from seven publicly available datasets. The model used features from all brain regions extracted from structural magnetic resonance imaging data. RESULTS Brain-PAD was significantly higher in older MDD participants compared to younger MDD participants [t(147.35) = -2.35, p < 0.03]. BMI was significantly associated with brain-PAD in the MDD group [r(155) = 0.19, p < 0.03]. Response to treatment was not significantly associated with brain-PAD. CONCLUSION We found an elevated brain age gap in older individuals with MDD. Brain-PAD was not associated with overall treatment response to escitalopram monotherapy or escitalopram plus adjunctive aripiprazole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro L Ballester
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Jee Su Suh
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Nikita Nogovitsyn
- Mood Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Stefanie Hassel
- Department of Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Stephen C Strother
- Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Luciano Minuzzi
- Mood Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Roberto B Sassi
- Mood Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Raymond W Lam
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Roumen Milev
- Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Queen's University, and Providence Care, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Daniel J Müller
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Valerie H Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sidney H Kennedy
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Mental Health, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Depression and Suicide Studies, and Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Benicio N Frey
- Mood Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Women's Health Concerns Clinic, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
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20
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Cherbuin N, Walsh EI, Shaw M, Luders E, Anstey KJ, Sachdev PS, Abhayaratna WP, Gaser C. Optimal Blood Pressure Keeps Our Brains Younger. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:694982. [PMID: 34675795 PMCID: PMC8523821 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.694982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a major health risk factor and the leading global cause of premature death. Hypertension is also a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia. However, when elevated blood pressure starts impacting cerebral health is less clear. We addressed this gap by estimating how a validated measure of brain health relates to changes in BP over a period of 12 years. Methods: Middle-age (44-46 years at baseline, n = 335, 52% female) and older-age (60-64 years, n = 351, 46% female) cognitively intact individuals underwent up to four brain scans. Brain health was assessed using a machine learning approach to produce an estimate of "observed" age (BrainAGE), which can be contrasted with chronological age. Longitudinal associations between blood pressures and BrainAGE were assessed with linear mixed-effects models. Results: A progressive increase in BP was observed over the follow up (MAP = 0.8 mmHg/year, SD = 0.92; SBP = 1.41 mmHg/year, SD = 1.49; DBP = 0.61 mmHg/year, SD = 0.78). In fully adjusted models, every additional 10 mmHg increase in blood pressure (above 90 for mean, 114 for systolic, and 74 for diastolic blood pressure) was associated with a higher BrainAGE by 65.7 days for mean, and 51.1 days for systolic/diastolic blood pressure. These effects occurred across the blood pressure range and were not exclusively driven by hypertension. Conclusion: Increasing blood pressure is associated with poorer brain health. Compared to a person becoming hypertensive, somebody with an ideal BP is predicted to have a brain that appears more than 6 months younger at midlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Cherbuin
- Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Erin I Walsh
- Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Marnie Shaw
- College of Engineering & Computer Science, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Eileen Luders
- Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kaarin J Anstey
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Perminder S Sachdev
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Christian Gaser
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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21
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Baecker L, Garcia-Dias R, Vieira S, Scarpazza C, Mechelli A. Machine learning for brain age prediction: Introduction to methods and clinical applications. EBioMedicine 2021; 72:103600. [PMID: 34614461 PMCID: PMC8498228 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The rise of machine learning has unlocked new ways of analysing structural neuroimaging data, including brain age prediction. In this state-of-the-art review, we provide an introduction to the methods and potential clinical applications of brain age prediction. Studies on brain age typically involve the creation of a regression machine learning model of age-related neuroanatomical changes in healthy people. This model is then applied to new subjects to predict their brain age. The difference between predicted brain age and chronological age in a given individual is known as ‘brain-age gap’. This value is thought to reflect neuroanatomical abnormalities and may be a marker of overall brain health. It may aid early detection of brain-based disorders and support differential diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment choices. These applications could lead to more timely and more targeted interventions in age-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Baecker
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK.
| | - Rafael Garcia-Dias
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Sandra Vieira
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Cristina Scarpazza
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Italy
| | - Andrea Mechelli
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
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22
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Bocancea DI, van Loenhoud AC, Groot C, Barkhof F, van der Flier WM, Ossenkoppele R. Measuring Resilience and Resistance in Aging and Alzheimer Disease Using Residual Methods: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Neurology 2021; 97:474-488. [PMID: 34266918 PMCID: PMC8448552 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000012499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE There is a lack of consensus on how to optimally define and measure resistance and resilience in brain and cognitive aging. Residual methods use residuals from regression analysis to quantify the capacity to avoid (resistance) or cope (resilience) "better or worse than expected" given a certain level of risk or cerebral damage. We reviewed the rapidly growing literature on residual methods in the context of aging and Alzheimer disease (AD) and performed meta-analyses to investigate associations of residual method-based resilience and resistance measures with longitudinal cognitive and clinical outcomes. METHODS A systematic literature search of PubMed and Web of Science databases (consulted until March 2020) and subsequent screening led to 54 studies fulfilling eligibility criteria, including 10 studies suitable for the meta-analyses. RESULTS We identified articles using residual methods aimed at quantifying resistance (n = 33), cognitive resilience (n = 23), and brain resilience (n = 2). Critical examination of the literature revealed that there is considerable methodologic variability in how the residual measures were derived and validated. Despite methodologic differences across studies, meta-analytic assessments showed significant associations of levels of resistance (hazard ratio [HR] [95% confidence interval (CI)] 1.12 [1.07-1.17]; p < 0.0001) and levels of resilience (HR [95% CI] 0.46 [0.32-0.68]; p < 0.001) with risk of progression to dementia/AD. Resilience was also associated with rate of cognitive decline (β [95% CI] 0.05 [0.01-0.08]; p < 0.01). DISCUSSION This review and meta-analysis supports the usefulness of residual methods as appropriate measures of resilience and resistance, as they capture clinically meaningful information in aging and AD. More rigorous methodologic standardization is needed to increase comparability across studies and, ultimately, application in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana I Bocancea
- From the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience (D.I.B., A.C.v.L., C.G., W.M.v.d.F., R.O.), and Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (F.B.), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands; Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering (F.B.), University College London, UK; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (W.M.v.d.F.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Clinical Memory Research Unit (R.O.), Lund University, Sweden
| | - Anna C van Loenhoud
- From the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience (D.I.B., A.C.v.L., C.G., W.M.v.d.F., R.O.), and Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (F.B.), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands; Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering (F.B.), University College London, UK; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (W.M.v.d.F.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Clinical Memory Research Unit (R.O.), Lund University, Sweden
| | - Colin Groot
- From the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience (D.I.B., A.C.v.L., C.G., W.M.v.d.F., R.O.), and Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (F.B.), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands; Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering (F.B.), University College London, UK; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (W.M.v.d.F.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Clinical Memory Research Unit (R.O.), Lund University, Sweden
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- From the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience (D.I.B., A.C.v.L., C.G., W.M.v.d.F., R.O.), and Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (F.B.), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands; Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering (F.B.), University College London, UK; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (W.M.v.d.F.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Clinical Memory Research Unit (R.O.), Lund University, Sweden
| | - Wiesje M van der Flier
- From the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience (D.I.B., A.C.v.L., C.G., W.M.v.d.F., R.O.), and Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (F.B.), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands; Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering (F.B.), University College London, UK; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (W.M.v.d.F.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Clinical Memory Research Unit (R.O.), Lund University, Sweden
| | - Rik Ossenkoppele
- From the Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience (D.I.B., A.C.v.L., C.G., W.M.v.d.F., R.O.), and Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (F.B.), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands; Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering (F.B.), University College London, UK; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (W.M.v.d.F.), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Clinical Memory Research Unit (R.O.), Lund University, Sweden
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23
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Wrigglesworth J, Ward P, Harding IH, Nilaweera D, Wu Z, Woods RL, Ryan J. Factors associated with brain ageing - a systematic review. BMC Neurol 2021; 21:312. [PMID: 34384369 PMCID: PMC8359541 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-021-02331-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Brain age is a biomarker that predicts chronological age using neuroimaging features. Deviations of this predicted age from chronological age is considered a sign of age-related brain changes, or commonly referred to as brain ageing. The aim of this systematic review is to identify and synthesize the evidence for an association between lifestyle, health factors and diseases in adult populations, with brain ageing. Methods This systematic review was undertaken in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. A systematic search of Embase and Medline was conducted to identify relevant articles using search terms relating to the prediction of age from neuroimaging data or brain ageing. The tables of two recent review papers on brain ageing were also examined to identify additional articles. Studies were limited to adult humans (aged 18 years and above), from clinical or general populations. Exposures and study design of all types were also considered eligible. Results A systematic search identified 52 studies, which examined brain ageing in clinical and community dwelling adults (mean age between 21 to 78 years, ~ 37% were female). Most research came from studies of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or Alzheimer’s disease, or healthy populations that were assessed cognitively. From these studies, psychiatric and neurologic diseases were most commonly associated with accelerated brain ageing, though not all studies drew the same conclusions. Evidence for all other exposures is nascent, and relatively inconsistent. Heterogenous methodologies, or methods of outcome ascertainment, were partly accountable. Conclusion This systematic review summarised the current evidence for an association between genetic, lifestyle, health, or diseases and brain ageing. Overall there is good evidence to suggest schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease are associated with accelerated brain ageing. Evidence for all other exposures was mixed or limited. This was mostly due to a lack of independent replication, and inconsistency across studies that were primarily cross sectional in nature. Future research efforts should focus on replicating current findings, using prospective datasets. Trial registration A copy of the review protocol can be accessed through PROSPERO, registration number CRD42020142817. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12883-021-02331-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo Wrigglesworth
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
| | - Phillip Ward
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia.,Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Clayton, Victoria , 3800, , Australia
| | - Ian H Harding
- Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia.,Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
| | - Dinuli Nilaweera
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
| | - Zimu Wu
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
| | - Robyn L Woods
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
| | - Joanne Ryan
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia.
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24
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Franke K, Bublak P, Hoyer D, Billiet T, Gaser C, Witte OW, Schwab M. In vivo biomarkers of structural and functional brain development and aging in humans. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 117:142-164. [PMID: 33308708 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Brain aging is a major determinant of aging. Along with the aging population, prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases is increasing, therewith placing economic and social burden on individuals and society. Individual rates of brain aging are shaped by genetics, epigenetics, and prenatal environmental. Biomarkers of biological brain aging are needed to predict individual trajectories of aging and the risk for age-associated neurological impairments for developing early preventive and interventional measures. We review current advances of in vivo biomarkers predicting individual brain age. Telomere length and epigenetic clock, two important biomarkers that are closely related to the mechanistic aging process, have only poor deterministic and predictive accuracy regarding individual brain aging due to their high intra- and interindividual variability. Phenotype-related biomarkers of global cognitive function and brain structure provide a much closer correlation to age at the individual level. During fetal and perinatal life, autonomic activity is a unique functional marker of brain development. The cognitive and structural biomarkers also boast high diagnostic specificity for determining individual risks for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Franke
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
| | - P Bublak
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - D Hoyer
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | | | - C Gaser
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - O W Witte
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - M Schwab
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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25
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Behler A, Kassubek J, Müller HP. Age-Related Alterations in DTI Metrics in the Human Brain-Consequences for Age Correction. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:682109. [PMID: 34211389 PMCID: PMC8239142 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.682109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Over the life span, the diffusion metrics in brain MRI show different, partly nonlinear changes. These age-dependent changes also seem to exhibit regional differences with respect to the brain anatomy. The age correction of a study cohort's diffusion metrics might thus require consideration of age-related factors. Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging data sets were acquired from 219 healthy participants at ages between 19 and 81 years. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and axial and radial diffusivity (AD and RD, respectively) maps were analyzed by a tract of interest-based fiber tracking approach. To describe diffusion metrics as a function of the participant age, linear splines were used to perform curve fitting in 21 specific tract systems covering different functional areas and diffusion directions. Results: In the majority of tracts, an interpolation with a change of alteration rate during adult life described the diffusion properties more accurately than a linear model. Consequently, the diffusion properties remained relatively stable until a decrease (of FA) or increase (of MD, AD, and RD) started at a region-specific time point, whereas a uniform change of diffusion properties was observed only in a few tracts. Single tracts, e.g., located in the cerebellum, remained nearly unaltered throughout the ages between 19 and 81 years. Conclusions: Age corrections of diffusion properties should not be applied to all white matter regions and all age spans in the same way. Therefore, we propose three different approaches for age correction based on fiber tracking techniques, i.e., no correction for areas that do not experience age-related changes and two variants of an age correction depending on the age range of the cohort and the tracts considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Behler
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jan Kassubek
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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26
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Boyle R, Jollans L, Rueda-Delgado LM, Rizzo R, Yener GG, McMorrow JP, Knight SP, Carey D, Robertson IH, Emek-Savaş DD, Stern Y, Kenny RA, Whelan R. Brain-predicted age difference score is related to specific cognitive functions: a multi-site replication analysis. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 15:327-345. [PMID: 32141032 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-020-00260-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Brain-predicted age difference scores are calculated by subtracting chronological age from 'brain' age, which is estimated using neuroimaging data. Positive scores reflect accelerated ageing and are associated with increased mortality risk and poorer physical function. To date, however, the relationship between brain-predicted age difference scores and specific cognitive functions has not been systematically examined using appropriate statistical methods. First, applying machine learning to 1359 T1-weighted MRI scans, we predicted the relationship between chronological age and voxel-wise grey matter data. This model was then applied to MRI data from three independent datasets, significantly predicting chronological age in each dataset: Dokuz Eylül University (n = 175), the Cognitive Reserve/Reference Ability Neural Network study (n = 380), and The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (n = 487). Each independent dataset had rich neuropsychological data. Brain-predicted age difference scores were significantly negatively correlated with performance on measures of general cognitive status (two datasets); processing speed, visual attention, and cognitive flexibility (three datasets); visual attention and cognitive flexibility (two datasets); and semantic verbal fluency (two datasets). As such, there is firm evidence of correlations between increased brain-predicted age differences and reduced cognitive function in some domains that are implicated in cognitive ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory Boyle
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Lee Jollans
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, München, Germany
| | - Laura M Rueda-Delgado
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Rossella Rizzo
- Physics Department, University of Calabria, Rende, CS, Italy
| | - Görsev G Yener
- Department of Neurosciences, Institute of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
- Department of Neurology, Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, İzmir, Turkey
- Brain Dynamics Multidisciplinary Research Center, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Jason P McMorrow
- Centre for Advanced Medical Imaging, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Silvin P Knight
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Daniel Carey
- The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Department of Medical Gerontology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Ian H Robertson
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Derya D Emek-Savaş
- Department of Neurosciences, Institute of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Yaakov Stern
- Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rose Anne Kenny
- School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Robert Whelan
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland.
- Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Lloyd Building, Dublin 2, Ireland.
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27
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Chin Fatt CR, Jha MK, Minhajuddin A, Mayes T, Trivedi MH. Sex-specific differences in the association between body mass index and brain aging in young adults: Findings from the human connectome project. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 124:105059. [PMID: 33254060 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.105059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This report evaluated sex-specific differences in the association between brain aging and body mass index (BMI) in young adults using the publicly available data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). METHODS Participants of HCP with available structural imaging and BMI data were included [n = 1112; mean age = 28.80 (SD = 3.70); mean BMI = 26.53 (SD = 5.20); males n = 507, females n = 605]. Predicted brain age was generated using raw T1-weighted MRI scan and a Gaussian Processes regression model. The difference (Δ aging) between brain age predicted by structural imaging and chronological age was computed. A linear regression model was used with Δ aging as the dependent variable, and sex, BMI, and BMI-by-sex interaction as independent variables of interest, and race, ethnicity, income, and education as covariates. RESULTS There was a significant BMI-by-sex interaction for Δ aging (p = 0.041). Higher BMI was associated with greater brain aging in both sexes. However, this association was substantially stronger in males (β = 0.215; SE = 0.050; p < 0.0001) than in females (β = 0.122; SE = 0.035; p = 0.0005). CONCLUSION We found evidence suggesting that higher BMI is associated with greater brain aging in adults. Furthermore, the association between higher BMI and greater brain aging was stronger in males than in females. Future studies are needed to explore the mechanistic pathways that link higher BMI to greater brain aging and whether weight-loss interventions, such as exercise, can reverse higher BMI-associated greater brain aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherise R Chin Fatt
- Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Manish K Jha
- Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Abu Minhajuddin
- Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Taryn Mayes
- Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Madhukar H Trivedi
- Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States.
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28
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Peng H, Gong W, Beckmann CF, Vedaldi A, Smith SM. Accurate brain age prediction with lightweight deep neural networks. Med Image Anal 2021; 68:101871. [PMID: 33197716 PMCID: PMC7610710 DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2020.101871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Deep learning has huge potential for accurate disease prediction with neuroimaging data, but the prediction performance is often limited by training-dataset size and computing memory requirements. To address this, we propose a deep convolutional neural network model, Simple Fully Convolutional Network (SFCN), for accurate prediction of brain age using T1-weighted structural MRI data. Compared with other popular deep network architectures, SFCN has fewer parameters, so is more compatible with small dataset size and 3D volume data. The network architecture was combined with several techniques for boosting performance, including data augmentation, pre-training, model regularization, model ensemble and prediction bias correction. We compared our overall SFCN approach with several widely-used machine learning models. It achieved state-of-the-art performance in UK Biobank data (N = 14,503), with mean absolute error (MAE) = 2.14y in brain age prediction and 99.5% in sex classification. SFCN also won (both parts of) the 2019 Predictive Analysis Challenge for brain age prediction, involving 79 competing teams (N = 2,638, MAE = 2.90y). We describe here the details of our approach, and its optimisation and validation. Our approach can easily be generalised to other tasks using different image modalities, and is released on GitHub.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Peng
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN FMRIB), University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom; Visual Geometry Group (VGG), University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6NN, United Kingdom; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, 6525 EN, the Netherlands.
| | - Weikang Gong
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN FMRIB), University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Christian F Beckmann
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN FMRIB), University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, 6525 EN, the Netherlands
| | - Andrea Vedaldi
- Visual Geometry Group (VGG), University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6NN, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen M Smith
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN FMRIB), University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
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29
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Bittner N, Jockwitz C, Franke K, Gaser C, Moebus S, Bayen UJ, Amunts K, Caspers S. When your brain looks older than expected: combined lifestyle risk and BrainAGE. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:621-645. [PMID: 33423086 PMCID: PMC7981332 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02184-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Lifestyle may be one source of unexplained variance in the great interindividual variability of the brain in age-related structural differences. While physical and social activity may protect against structural decline, other lifestyle behaviors may be accelerating factors. We examined whether riskier lifestyle correlates with accelerated brain aging using the BrainAGE score in 622 older adults from the 1000BRAINS cohort. Lifestyle was measured using a combined lifestyle risk score, composed of risk (smoking, alcohol intake) and protective variables (social integration and physical activity). We estimated individual BrainAGE from T1-weighted MRI data indicating accelerated brain atrophy by higher values. Then, the effect of combined lifestyle risk and individual lifestyle variables was regressed against BrainAGE. One unit increase in combined lifestyle risk predicted 5.04 months of additional BrainAGE. This prediction was driven by smoking (0.6 additional months of BrainAGE per pack-year) and physical activity (0.55 less months in BrainAGE per metabolic equivalent). Stratification by sex revealed a stronger association between physical activity and BrainAGE in males than females. Overall, our observations may be helpful with regard to lifestyle-related tailored prevention measures that slow changes in brain structure in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Bittner
- Institute for Anatomy I, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Christiane Jockwitz
- Institute for Anatomy I, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Katja Franke
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, University Hospital Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Gaser
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, University Hospital Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Susanne Moebus
- Institute of Urban Public Health, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45122, Essen, Germany
| | - Ute J Bayen
- Mathematical and Cognitive Psychology, Institute for Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Katrin Amunts
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany.,Cecile and Oskar Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.,JARA-BRAIN, Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance, 52425, Jülich, Germany
| | - Svenja Caspers
- Institute for Anatomy I, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany. .,Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany. .,JARA-BRAIN, Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance, 52425, Jülich, Germany.
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30
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Erramuzpe A, Schurr R, Yeatman JD, Gotlib IH, Sacchet MD, Travis KE, Feldman HM, Mezer AA. A Comparison of Quantitative R1 and Cortical Thickness in Identifying Age, Lifespan Dynamics, and Disease States of the Human Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:1211-1226. [PMID: 33095854 PMCID: PMC8485079 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain development and aging are complex processes that unfold in multiple brain regions simultaneously. Recently, models of brain age prediction have aroused great interest, as these models can potentially help to understand neurological diseases and elucidate basic neurobiological mechanisms. We test whether quantitative magnetic resonance imaging can contribute to such age prediction models. Using R1, the longitudinal rate of relaxation, we explore lifespan dynamics in cortical gray matter. We compare R1 with cortical thickness, a well-established biomarker of brain development and aging. Using 160 healthy individuals (6-81 years old), we found that R1 and cortical thickness predicted age similarly, but the regions contributing to the prediction differed. Next, we characterized R1 development and aging dynamics. Compared with anterior regions, in posterior regions we found an earlier R1 peak but a steeper postpeak decline. We replicate these findings: firstly, we tested a subset (N = 10) of the original dataset for whom we had additional scans at a lower resolution; and second, we verified the results on an independent dataset (N = 34). Finally, we compared the age prediction models on a subset of 10 patients with multiple sclerosis. The patients are predicted older than their chronological age using R1 but not with cortical thickness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - R Schurr
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - J D Yeatman
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - I H Gotlib
- Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - M D Sacchet
- Harvard Medical School, Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - K E Travis
- Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - H M Feldman
- Development and Behavior Unit, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - A A Mezer
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Jerusalem, Israel
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31
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He C, Chen H, Uddin LQ, Erramuzpe A, Bonifazi P, Guo X, Xiao J, Chen H, Huang X, Li L, Sheng W, Liao W, Cortes JM, Duan X. Structure-Function Connectomics Reveals Aberrant Developmental Trajectory Occurring at Preadolescence in the Autistic Brain. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:5028-5037. [PMID: 32377684 PMCID: PMC7391416 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating neuroimaging evidence shows that age estimation obtained from brain connectomics reflects the level of brain maturation along with neural development. It is well known that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) alters neurodevelopmental trajectories of brain connectomics, but the precise relationship between chronological age (ChA) and brain connectome age (BCA) during development in ASD has not been addressed. This study uses neuroimaging data collected from 50 individuals with ASD and 47 age- and gender-matched typically developing controls (TDCs; age range: 5-18 years). Both functional and structural connectomics were assessed using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange repository. For each participant, BCA was estimated from structure-function connectomics through linear support vector regression. We found that BCA matched well with ChA in TDC children and adolescents, but not in ASD. In particular, our findings revealed that individuals with ASD exhibited accelerated brain maturation in youth, followed by a delay of brain development starting at preadolescence. Our results highlight the critical role of BCA in understanding aberrant developmental trajectories in ASD and provide the new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changchun He
- Department of Life Science and Technology, The clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Huafu Chen
- Department of Life Science and Technology, The clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Lucina Q Uddin
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA
| | - Asier Erramuzpe
- Computational Neuroimaging Laboratory, Biocruces-Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo 48903, Spain
- Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
| | - Paolo Bonifazi
- Computational Neuroimaging Laboratory, Biocruces-Bizkaia Health Research Institute, Barakaldo 48903, Spain
- Ikerbasque: The Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48013, Spain
| | - Xiaonan Guo
- Department of Life Science and Technology, The clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Jinming Xiao
- Department of Life Science and Technology, The clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Heng Chen
- School of Medicine, Medical College of Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Xinyue Huang
- Department of Life Science and Technology, The clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Life Science and Technology, The clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Wei Sheng
- Department of Life Science and Technology, The clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Wei Liao
- Department of Life Science and Technology, The clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Jesus M Cortes
- Ikerbasque: The Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48013, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain
| | - Xujun Duan
- Department of Life Science and Technology, The clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, High-Field Magnetic Resonance Brain Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
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32
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Seidel G, Gaser C, Götz T, Günther A, Hamzei F. Accelerated brain ageing in sepsis survivors with cognitive long-term impairment. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:4395-4402. [PMID: 32498123 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
In the last years, cognitive impairment was emphasized to be a prominent long-term sequelae of sepsis. The level of cognitive impairment is comparable with that in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients. Whether sepsis survivors also show a comparable brain atrophy is still unclear. For the analysis of brain atrophy, a novel method named brain age gap estimation (BrainAGE) was used. In this analysis approach, an algorithm identifies age-specific atrophy across the whole brain and calculates a BrainAGE score in years. In case of accelerated brain atrophy, the BrainAGE score is increased in comparison to the healthy age reference group, indicating a difference in estimated chronological age. 20 survivors of severe sepsis (longer than 2 years post sepsis) with persistent cognitive deficits were investigated with a battery of neuropsychological tests. Their MRI images were compared to an age- and sex-matched control group. Sepsis survivors showed a significant higher BrainAGE score of 4.5 years compared to healthy controls. We also found a close relationship between the BrainAGE score and severity of cognitive impairment (a higher BrainAGE score was associated with more severe cognitive impairment). Consequently, sepsis survivors with persistent cognitive impairment showed an accelerated brain ageing, which was closely associated with the severity of cognitive impairment (similar to MCI patients).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gundula Seidel
- Moritz Klinik Bad Klosterlausnitz, Bad Klosterlausnitz, Germany.,Section of Neurorehabilitation, Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Gaser
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Theresa Götz
- Biomagnetic Center, Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Albrecht Günther
- Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Farsin Hamzei
- Moritz Klinik Bad Klosterlausnitz, Bad Klosterlausnitz, Germany.,Section of Neurorehabilitation, Hans Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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33
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Beheshti I, Mishra S, Sone D, Khanna P, Matsuda H. T1-weighted MRI-driven Brain Age Estimation in Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. Aging Dis 2020; 11:618-628. [PMID: 32489706 PMCID: PMC7220281 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2019.0617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging-driven brain age estimation has introduced a robust (reliable and heritable) biomarker for detecting and monitoring neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we computed and compared brain age in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) patients using an advanced machine learning procedure involving T1-weighted MRI scans and gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) models. Brain age estimation frameworks were built using 839 healthy individuals and then the brain estimated age difference (Brain-EAD: chronological age subtracted from brain estimated age) was assessed in a large sample of PD patients (n = 160) and AD patients (n = 129), respectively. The mean Brain-EADs for GM were +9.29 ± 6.43 years for AD patients versus +1.50 ± 6.03 years for PD patients. For WM, the mean Brain-EADs were +8.85 ± 6.62 years for AD patients versus +2.47 ± 5.85 years for PD patients. In addition, PD patients showed a significantly higher WM Brain-EAD than GM Brain-EAD. In a direct comparison between PD and AD patients, we observed significantly higher Brain-EAD values in AD patients for both GM and WM. A comparison of the Brain-EAD between PD and AD patients revealed that AD patients may have a significantly "older-appearing" brain than PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Beheshti
- Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Shiwangi Mishra
- PDPM Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, India.
| | - Daichi Sone
- Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Pritee Khanna
- PDPM Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur, India.
| | - Hiroshi Matsuda
- Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
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34
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Cole JH. Multimodality neuroimaging brain-age in UK biobank: relationship to biomedical, lifestyle, and cognitive factors. Neurobiol Aging 2020; 92:34-42. [PMID: 32380363 PMCID: PMC7280786 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The brain-age paradigm is proving increasingly useful for exploring aging-related disease and can predict important future health outcomes. Most brain-age research uses structural neuroimaging to index brain volume. However, aging affects multiple aspects of brain structure and function, which can be examined using multimodality neuroimaging. Using UK Biobank, brain-age was modeled in n = 2205 healthy people with T1-weighted MRI, T2-FLAIR, T2∗, diffusion-MRI, task fMRI, and resting-state fMRI. In a held-out healthy validation set (n = 520), chronological age was accurately predicted (r = 0.78, mean absolute error = 3.55 years) using LASSO regression, higher than using any modality separately. Thirty-four neuroimaging phenotypes were deemed informative by the regression (after bootstrapping); predominantly gray-matter volume and white-matter microstructure measures. When applied to new individuals from UK Biobank (n = 14,701), significant associations with multimodality brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD) were found for stroke history, diabetes diagnosis, smoking, alcohol intake and some, but not all, cognitive measures (corrected p < 0.05). Multimodality neuroimaging can improve brain-age prediction, and derived brain-PAD values are sensitive to biomedical and lifestyle factors that negatively impact brain and cognitive health. Brain-age was predicted from 6 different neuroimaging modalities. Combined multi-modality brain-age was more accurate than any single modality. Thirty-four neuroimaging measures were informative for brain-age prediction. Informative measures generally reflect brain volume and white-matter microstructure. Brain-age was associated with stroke, diabetes, smoking, alcohol and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- James H Cole
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK; Dementia Research Centre, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
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35
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Adluru N, Korponay CH, Norton DL, Goldman RI, Davidson RJ. BrainAGE and regional volumetric analysis of a Buddhist monk: a longitudinal MRI case study. Neurocase 2020; 26:79-90. [PMID: 32100616 PMCID: PMC7150651 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2020.1731553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (YMR) is a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and renowned meditation practitioner and teacher who has spent an extraordinary number of hours of his life meditating. The brain-aging profile of this expert meditator in comparison to a control population was examined using a machine learning framework, which estimates "brain-age" from brain imaging. YMR's brain-aging rate appeared slower than that of controls suggesting early maturation and delayed aging. At 41 years, his brain resembled that of a 33-year-old. Specific regional changes did not differentiate YMR from controls, suggesting that the brain-aging differences may arise from coordinated changes spread throughout the gray matter.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Derek L Norton
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, UW-Madison, USA
| | | | - Richard J Davidson
- Center for Healthy Minds, UW-Madison, USA
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, UW-Madison, USA
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36
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Franke K, Gaser C. Ten Years of BrainAGE as a Neuroimaging Biomarker of Brain Aging: What Insights Have We Gained? Front Neurol 2019; 10:789. [PMID: 31474922 PMCID: PMC6702897 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 263] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With the aging population, prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases is increasing, thus placing a growing burden on individuals and the whole society. However, individual rates of aging are shaped by a great variety of and the interactions between environmental, genetic, and epigenetic factors. Establishing biomarkers of the neuroanatomical aging processes exemplifies a new trend in neuroscience in order to provide risk-assessments and predictions for age-associated neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases at a single-subject level. The "Brain Age Gap Estimation (BrainAGE)" method constitutes the first and actually most widely applied concept for predicting and evaluating individual brain age based on structural MRI. This review summarizes all studies published within the last 10 years that have established and utilized the BrainAGE method to evaluate the effects of interaction of genes, environment, life burden, diseases, or life time on individual neuroanatomical aging. In future, BrainAGE and other brain age prediction approaches based on structural or functional markers may improve the assessment of individual risks for neurological, neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases as well as aid in developing personalized neuroprotective treatments and interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Franke
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Gaser
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany
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Changes in Cognitive Function and Risk Factors for Cognitive Impairment of the Elderly in China: 2005-2014. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16162847. [PMID: 31404951 PMCID: PMC6719934 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16162847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Background: The cognitive function of the elderly has become a focus of public health research. Little is known about the changes of cognitive function and the risk factors for cognitive impairment in the Chinese elderly; thus, the purposes of this study are as follows: (1) to describe changes in cognitive function in the Chinese elderly from 2005–2014 and (2) to explore risk factors for cognitive impairment of the Chinese elderly. Design and setting: A total of 2603 participants aged 64 years and above participated in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) and were followed up from 2005 to 2014. Cognitive function and cognitive impairment were assessed using the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of cognitive impairment. Results: Results revealed that the cognitive function of the Chinese elderly shows diversified changes: deterioration (55.09%), unchanged (17.21%) and improvement (27.70%). In addition, there are significant demographic differences in gender, age, education, marriage and other aspects when it comes to the changes of cognitive function in Chinese elderly. In the binary logistic regression analysis, female, increased age, lower education level, no spouse, less income, worse PWB (psychological well-being), less fresh fruit and vegetable intake, more activities of daily living (ADL) limitations, lower social engagement were significantly associated with higher odds for cognitive impairment. Conclusions: Various interventions should be implemented to maintain cognitive function in Chinese elderly.
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Abstract
The availability of cloud computing services has enabled the widespread adoption of the "software as a service" (SaaS) approach for software distribution, which utilizes network-based access to applications running on centralized servers. In this paper we apply the SaaS approach to neuroimaging-based age prediction. Our system, named "NAPR" (Neuroanatomical Age Prediction using R), provides access to predictive modeling software running on a persistent cloud-based Amazon Web Services (AWS) compute instance. The NAPR framework allows external users to estimate the age of individual subjects using cortical thickness maps derived from their own locally processed T1-weighted whole brain MRI scans. As a demonstration of the NAPR approach, we have developed two age prediction models that were trained using healthy control data from the ABIDE, CoRR, DLBS and NKI Rockland neuroimaging datasets (total N = 2367, age range 6-89 years). The provided age prediction models were trained using (i) relevance vector machines and (ii) Gaussian processes machine learning methods applied to cortical thickness surfaces obtained using Freesurfer v5.3. We believe that this transparent approach to out-of-sample evaluation and comparison of neuroimaging age prediction models will facilitate the development of improved age prediction models and allow for robust evaluation of the clinical utility of these methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heath R Pardoe
- Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University School of Medicine, 223 East 34th St, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
| | - Ruben Kuzniecky
- Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University School of Medicine, 223 East 34th St, New York, NY, 10016, USA
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39
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Quantification of the Biological Age of the Brain Using Neuroimaging. HEALTHY AGEING AND LONGEVITY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-24970-0_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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40
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Mansens D, Deeg DJH, Comijs HC. The association between singing and/or playing a musical instrument and cognitive functions in older adults. Aging Ment Health 2018; 22:964-971. [PMID: 28521542 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2017.1328481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Cognitive decline happens to everyone when aging, but to some more than others. Studies with children, adults, and professional musicians suggest that making music could be associated with better cognitive functioning. In older adults however, this association is less well investigated, which is therefore the aim of this study. METHODS In this cross-sectional study data from 1101 participants aged 64 and older from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were used. Multivariable linear regression analyses were performed to test the association between making music and cognitive functioning and time spent making music and cognitive functioning. ANCOVA analyses were performed to differentiate between participants who made no music, only sang, only played an instrument or both sang and played an instrument in terms of cognitive functioning. RESULTS Making music was significantly positively associated with letter fluency, learning and attention/short-term memory. Time spent making music yielded no significant results. The ANCOVA analyses showed higher scores for participants who only played an instrument compared to participants who made no music on learning, working memory and processing speed. For processing speed the instrument only group also had a higher score than participants who only sang. DISCUSSION Making music at least once every two weeks and especially playing a musical instrument, is associated with better attention, episodic memory and executive functions. The results suggest that making music might be a potential protective factor for cognitive decline; however, to support this notion a longitudinal study design is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Mansens
- a GGZ in Geest/Department of Psychiatry and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute , VU University Medical Centre , Amsterdam , The Netherlands
| | - D J H Deeg
- b Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics , Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Centre , Amsterdam , The Netherlands
| | - H C Comijs
- a GGZ in Geest/Department of Psychiatry and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute , VU University Medical Centre , Amsterdam , The Netherlands
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41
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Bonifazi P, Erramuzpe A, Diez I, Gabilondo I, Boisgontier MP, Pauwels L, Stramaglia S, Swinnen SP, Cortes JM. Structure-function multi-scale connectomics reveals a major role of the fronto-striato-thalamic circuit in brain aging. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:4663-4677. [PMID: 30004604 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiological aging affects brain structure and function impacting morphology, connectivity, and performance. However, whether some brain connectivity metrics might reflect the age of an individual is still unclear. Here, we collected brain images from healthy participants (N = 155) ranging from 10 to 80 years to build functional (resting state) and structural (tractography) connectivity matrices, both data sets combined to obtain different connectivity features. We then calculated the brain connectome age-an age estimator resulting from a multi-scale methodology applied to the structure-function connectome, and compared it to the chronological age (ChA). Our results were twofold. First, we found that aging widely affects the connectivity of multiple structures, such as anterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortices, basal ganglia, thalamus, insula, cingulum, hippocampus, parahippocampus, occipital cortex, fusiform, precuneus, and temporal pole. Second, we found that the connectivity between basal ganglia and thalamus to frontal areas, also known as the fronto-striato-thalamic (FST) circuit, makes the major contribution to age estimation. In conclusion, our results highlight the key role played by the FST circuit in the process of healthy aging. Notably, the same methodology can be generally applied to identify the structural-functional connectivity patterns correlating to other biomarkers than ChA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Bonifazi
- Biocruces Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain.,IKERBASQUE: The Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | | | - Ibai Diez
- Biocruces Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain
| | | | - Matthieu P Boisgontier
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lisa Pauwels
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sebastiano Stramaglia
- Dipartimento Interateneo di Fisica, Universita di Bari, and INFN, Sezione di Bari, Italy
| | - Stephan P Swinnen
- Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Movement Sciences, Group Biomedical Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jesus M Cortes
- Biocruces Health Research Institute, Barakaldo, Spain.,IKERBASQUE: The Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology and Histology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain
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42
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Varikuti DP, Genon S, Sotiras A, Schwender H, Hoffstaedter F, Patil KR, Jockwitz C, Caspers S, Moebus S, Amunts K, Davatzikos C, Eickhoff SB. Evaluation of non-negative matrix factorization of grey matter in age prediction. Neuroimage 2018; 173:394-410. [PMID: 29518572 PMCID: PMC5911196 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Revised: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 03/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between grey matter volume (GMV) patterns and age can be captured by multivariate pattern analysis, allowing prediction of individuals' age based on structural imaging. Raw data, voxel-wise GMV and non-sparse factorization (with Principal Component Analysis, PCA) show good performance but do not promote relatively localized brain components for post-hoc examinations. Here we evaluated a non-negative matrix factorization (NNMF) approach to provide a reduced, but also interpretable representation of GMV data in age prediction frameworks in healthy and clinical populations. This examination was performed using three datasets: a multi-site cohort of life-span healthy adults, a single site cohort of older adults and clinical samples from the ADNI dataset with healthy subjects, participants with Mild Cognitive Impairment and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) subsamples. T1-weighted images were preprocessed with VBM8 standard settings to compute GMV values after normalization, segmentation and modulation for non-linear transformations only. Non-negative matrix factorization was computed on the GM voxel-wise values for a range of granularities (50-690 components) and LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator) regression were used for age prediction. First, we compared the performance of our data compression procedure (i.e., NNMF) to various other approaches (i.e., uncompressed VBM data, PCA-based factorization and parcellation-based compression). We then investigated the impact of the granularity on the accuracy of age prediction, as well as the transferability of the factorization and model generalization across datasets. We finally validated our framework by examining age prediction in ADNI samples. Our results showed that our framework favorably compares with other approaches. They also demonstrated that the NNMF based factorization derived from one dataset could be efficiently applied to compress VBM data of another dataset and that granularities between 300 and 500 components give an optimal representation for age prediction. In addition to the good performance in healthy subjects our framework provided relatively localized brain regions as the features contributing to the prediction, thereby offering further insights into structural changes due to brain aging. Finally, our validation in clinical populations showed that our framework is sensitive to deviance from normal structural variations in pathological aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepthi P Varikuti
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1, INM-7), Research Centre Juelich, Germany; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Sarah Genon
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1, INM-7), Research Centre Juelich, Germany; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Aristeidis Sotiras
- Section for Biomedical Image Analysis, Center for Biomedical Image Computing and Analytics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Holger Schwender
- Mathematical Institute, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Felix Hoffstaedter
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1, INM-7), Research Centre Juelich, Germany; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kaustubh R Patil
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1, INM-7), Research Centre Juelich, Germany; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christiane Jockwitz
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1, INM-7), Research Centre Juelich, Germany; C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany; JARA-BRAIN, Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance, Juelich, Germany
| | - Svenja Caspers
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1, INM-7), Research Centre Juelich, Germany; C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany; JARA-BRAIN, Juelich-Aachen Research Alliance, Juelich, Germany
| | - Susanne Moebus
- Institute of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Katrin Amunts
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1, INM-7), Research Centre Juelich, Germany; C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Christos Davatzikos
- Section for Biomedical Image Analysis, Center for Biomedical Image Computing and Analytics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1, INM-7), Research Centre Juelich, Germany; Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
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Allostatic load as a predictor of grey matter volume and white matter integrity in old age: The Whitehall II MRI study. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6411. [PMID: 29686319 PMCID: PMC5913085 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24398-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The allostatic load index quantifies the cumulative multisystem physiological response to chronic everyday stress, and includes cardiovascular, metabolic and inflammatory measures. Despite its central role in the stress response, research of the effect of allostatic load on the ageing brain has been limited. We investigated the relation of mid-life allostatic load index and multifactorial predictors of stroke (Framingham stroke risk) and diabetes (metabolic syndrome) with voxelwise structural grey and white matter brain integrity measures in the ageing Whitehall II cohort (N = 349, mean age = 69.6 (SD 5.2) years, N (male) = 281 (80.5%), mean follow-up before scan = 21.4 (SD 0.82) years). Higher levels of all three markers were significantly associated with lower grey matter density. Only higher Framingham stroke risk was significantly associated with lower white matter integrity (low fractional anisotropy and high mean diffusivity). Our findings provide some empirical support for the concept of allostatic load, linking the effect of everyday stress on the body with features of the ageing human brain.
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Scheller E, Schumacher LV, Peter J, Lahr J, Wehrle J, Kaller CP, Gaser C, Klöppel S. Brain Aging and APOE ε4 Interact to Reveal Potential Neuronal Compensation in Healthy Older Adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2018; 10:74. [PMID: 29615896 PMCID: PMC5869204 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Compensation implies the recruitment of additional neuronal resources to prevent the detrimental effect of age-related neuronal decline on cognition. Recently suggested statistical models comprise behavioral performance, brain activation, and measures related to aging- or disease-specific pathological burden to characterize compensation. Higher chronological age as well as the APOE ε4 allele are risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. A more biological approach to characterize aging compared with chronological age is the brain age gap estimation (BrainAGE), taking into account structural brain characteristics. We utilized this estimate in an fMRI experiment together with APOE variant as measures related to pathological burden and aimed at identifying compensatory regions during working memory (WM) processing in a group of 34 healthy older adults. According to published compensation criteria, better performance along with increased brain activation would indicate successful compensation. We examined the moderating effects of BrainAGE on the relationship between task performance and brain activation in prefrontal cortex, as previous studies suggest predominantly frontal compensatory activation. Then we statistically compared them to the effects of chronological age (CA) tested in a previous study. Moreover, we examined the effects of adding APOE variant as a further moderator. Herewith, we strived to uncover neuronal compensation in healthy older adults at risk for neurodegenerative disease. Higher BrainAGE alone was not associated with an increased recruitment in prefrontal cortex. When adding APOE variant as a second moderator, we found an interaction of BrainAGE and APOE variant, such that ε4 carriers recruited right inferior frontal gyrus with higher BrainAGE to maintain WM performance, thus showing a pattern compatible with successful neuronal compensation. Exploratory analyses yielded similar patterns in left inferior and bilateral middle frontal gyrus. These results contrast those from a previous study, where we found no indication of compensation in prefrontal cortex in ε4 carriers with increasing CA. We conclude that BrainAGE together with APOE variant can help to reveal potential neuronal compensation in healthy older adults. Previous results on neuronal compensation in frontal areas corroborate our findings. Compensatory brain regions could be targeted in affected individuals by training or stimulation protocols to maintain cognitive functioning as long as possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Scheller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lena V Schumacher
- Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jessica Peter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jacob Lahr
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Julius Wehrle
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Berta-Ottenstein-Programme, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Freiburg, Germany.,German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph P Kaller
- Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,BrainLinks-BrainTools Cluster of Excellence, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christian Gaser
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan Klöppel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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45
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Madan CR, Kensinger EA. Predicting age from cortical structure across the lifespan. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 47:399-416. [PMID: 29359873 PMCID: PMC5835209 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Despite interindividual differences in cortical structure, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have demonstrated a large degree of population-level consistency in age-related differences in brain morphology. This study assessed how accurately an individual's age could be predicted by estimates of cortical morphology, comparing a variety of structural measures, including thickness, gyrification and fractal dimensionality. Structural measures were calculated across up to seven different parcellation approaches, ranging from one region to 1000 regions. The age prediction framework was trained using morphological measures obtained from T1-weighted MRI volumes collected from multiple sites, yielding a training dataset of 1056 healthy adults, aged 18-97. Age predictions were calculated using a machine-learning approach that incorporated nonlinear differences over the lifespan. In two independent, held-out test samples, age predictions had a median error of 6-7 years. Age predictions were best when using a combination of cortical metrics, both thickness and fractal dimensionality. Overall, the results reveal that age-related differences in brain structure are systematic enough to enable reliable age prediction based on metrics of cortical morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R. Madan
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
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46
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Predicting Age Using Neuroimaging: Innovative Brain Ageing Biomarkers. Trends Neurosci 2017; 40:681-690. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2017.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 386] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Revised: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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47
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Franke K, Gaser C, Roseboom TJ, Schwab M, de Rooij SR. Premature brain aging in humans exposed to maternal nutrient restriction during early gestation. Neuroimage 2017; 173:460-471. [PMID: 29074280 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.10.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal exposure to undernutrition is widespread in both developing and industrialized countries, causing irreversible damage to the developing brain, resulting in altered brain structure and decreased cognitive function during adulthood. The Dutch famine in 1944/45 was a humanitarian disaster, now enabling studies of the effects of prenatal undernutrition during gestation on brain aging in late adulthood. METHODS We hypothesized that study participants prenatally exposed to maternal nutrient restriction (MNR) would demonstrate altered brain structure resembling premature brain aging in late adulthood, expecting the effect being stronger in men. Utilizing the Dutch famine birth cohort (n = 118; mean age: 67.5 ± 0.9 years), this study implements an innovative biomarker for individual brain aging, using structural neuroimaging. BrainAGE was calculated using state-of-the-art pattern recognition methods, trained on an independent healthy reference sample, then applied to the Dutch famine MRI sample, to evaluate the effects of prenatal undernutrition during early gestation on individual brain aging in late adulthood. RESULTS Exposure to famine in early gestation was associated with BrainAGE scores indicative of an older-appearing brain in the male sample (mean difference to subjects born before famine: 4.3 years, p < 0.05). Furthermore, in explaining the observed variance in individual BrainAGE scores in the male sample, maternal age at birth, head circumference at birth, medical treatment of hypertension, history of cerebral incidences, actual heart rate, and current alcohol intake emerged to be the most influential variables (adjusted R2 = 0.63, p < 0.01). INTERPRETATION The findings of our study on exposure to prenatal undernutrition being associated with a status of premature brain aging during late adulthood, as well as individual brain structure being shaped by birth- and late-life health characteristics, are strongly supporting the critical importance of sufficient nutrient supply during pregnancy. Interestingly, the status of premature brain aging in participants exposed to the Dutch famine during early gestation occurred in the absence of fetal growth restriction at birth as well as vascular pathology in late-life. Additionally, the neuroimaging brain aging biomarker presented in this study will further enable tracking effects of environmental influences or (preventive) treatments on individual brain maturation and aging in epidemiological and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Franke
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany.
| | - Christian Gaser
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Tessa J Roseboom
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthias Schwab
- Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Susanne R de Rooij
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Nenadić I, Dietzek M, Langbein K, Sauer H, Gaser C. BrainAGE score indicates accelerated brain aging in schizophrenia, but not bipolar disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2017; 266:86-89. [PMID: 28628780 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2017.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BrainAGE (brain age gap estimation) is a novel morphometric parameter providing a univariate score derived from multivariate voxel-wise analyses. It uses a machine learning approach and can be used to analyse deviation from physiological developmental or aging-related trajectories. Using structural MRI data and BrainAGE quantification of acceleration or deceleration of in individual aging, we analysed data from 45 schizophrenia patients, 22 bipolar I disorder patients (mostly with previous psychotic symptoms / episodes), and 70 healthy controls. We found significantly higher BrainAGE scores in schizophrenia, but not bipolar disorder patients. Our findings indicate significantly accelerated brain structural aging in schizophrenia. This suggests, that despite the conceptualisation of schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder, there might be an additional progressive pathogenic component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Nenadić
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University Marburg & Marburg University Hospital UKGM, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Maren Dietzek
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Kerstin Langbein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Heinrich Sauer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Gaser
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany; Department of Neurology, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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Rogenmoser L, Kernbach J, Schlaug G, Gaser C. Keeping brains young with making music. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 223:297-305. [PMID: 28815301 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1491-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Music-making is a widespread leisure and professional activity that has garnered interest over the years due to its effect on brain and cognitive development and its potential as a rehabilitative and restorative therapy of brain dysfunctions. We investigated whether music-making has a potential age-protecting effect on the brain. For this, we studied anatomical magnetic resonance images obtained from three matched groups of subjects who differed in their lifetime dose of music-making activities (i.e., professional musicians, amateur musicians, and non-musicians). For each subject, we calculated a so-called BrainAGE score which corresponds to the discrepancy (in years) between chronological age and the "age of the brain", with negative values reflecting an age-decelerating brain and positive values an age-accelerating brain, respectively. The index of "brain age" was estimated using a machine-learning algorithm that was trained in a large independent sample to identify anatomical correlates of brain-aging. Compared to non-musicians, musicians overall had lower BrainAGE scores, with amateur musicians having the lowest scores suggesting that music-making has an age-decelerating effect on the brain. Unlike the amateur musicians, the professional musicians showed a positive correlation between their BrainAGE scores and years of music-making, possibly indicating that engaging more intensely in just one otherwise enriching activity might not be as beneficial than if the activity is one of several that an amateur musician engages in. Intense music-making activities at a professional level could also lead to stress-related interferences and a less enriched environment than that of amateur musicians, possibly somewhat diminishing the otherwise positive effect of music-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Rogenmoser
- Music, Neuroimaging, and Stroke Recovery Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Julius Kernbach
- Music, Neuroimaging, and Stroke Recovery Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen University, 52056, Aachen, Germany
| | - Gottfried Schlaug
- Music, Neuroimaging, and Stroke Recovery Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Christian Gaser
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, University Hospital Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
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Franke K, Clarke GD, Dahnke R, Gaser C, Kuo AH, Li C, Schwab M, Nathanielsz PW. Premature Brain Aging in Baboons Resulting from Moderate Fetal Undernutrition. Front Aging Neurosci 2017; 9:92. [PMID: 28443017 PMCID: PMC5386978 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Contrary to the known benefits from a moderate dietary reduction during adulthood on life span and health, maternal nutrient reduction during pregnancy is supposed to affect the developing brain, probably resulting in impaired brain structure and function throughout life. Decreased fetal nutrition delivery is widespread in both developing and developed countries, caused by poverty and natural disasters, but also due to maternal dieting, teenage pregnancy, pregnancy in women over 35 years of age, placental insufficiency, or multiples. Compromised development of fetal cerebral structures was already shown in our baboon model of moderate maternal nutrient reduction. The present study was designed to follow-up and evaluate the effects of moderate maternal nutrient reduction on individual brain aging in the baboon during young adulthood (4–7 years; human equivalent 14–24 years), applying a novel, non-invasive neuroimaging aging biomarker. The study reveals premature brain aging of +2.7 years (p < 0.01) in the female baboon exposed to fetal undernutrition. The effects of moderate maternal nutrient reduction on individual brain aging occurred in the absence of fetal growth restriction or marked maternal weight reduction at birth, which stresses the significance of early nutritional conditions in life-long developmental programming. This non-invasive MRI biomarker allows further longitudinal in vivo tracking of individual brain aging trajectories to assess the life-long effects of developmental and environmental influences in programming paradigms, aiding preventive and curative treatments on cerebral atrophy in experimental animal models and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Franke
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Neurology, University Hospital JenaJena, Germany
| | - Geoffrey D Clarke
- Radiology, University of Texas Health Science Center San AntonioSan Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Robert Dahnke
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Neurology, University Hospital JenaJena, Germany
| | - Christian Gaser
- Structural Brain Mapping Group, Department of Neurology, University Hospital JenaJena, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital JenaJena, Germany
| | - Anderson H Kuo
- Radiology, University of Texas Health Science Center San AntonioSan Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Cun Li
- Texas Pregnancy and Life Course Health Research Center, Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research InstituteSan Antonio, TX, USA.,Animal Science, University of WyomingLaramie, WY, USA
| | - Matthias Schwab
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital JenaJena, Germany
| | - Peter W Nathanielsz
- Texas Pregnancy and Life Course Health Research Center, Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research InstituteSan Antonio, TX, USA.,Animal Science, University of WyomingLaramie, WY, USA
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