These are the disorders linked to faster brain aging, according to a study

Brain age can differ from chronological age. Magnetic resonance imaging allows researchers to estimate it and compare it with chronological age. Now, a study published in the journal PLOS Medicine found that this age difference is greater in people with certain brain disorders, although the magnitude varies depending on the condition. These are the disorders linked to faster brain aging, according to a study. Trends / La Tercera The research was led by Shile Qi, of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China. To carry it out, the researchers analyzed data from structural magnetic resonance imaging of 45,900 healthy individuals and 2,698 patients with various disorders. The measure used was the predicted age difference (PAD), which makes it possible to compare the brain age estimated through neuroimaging with chronological age. "The difference between the brain age estimated from magnetic resonance imaging and the actual age (EPA) may reflect brain health," the authors explain. The disorders with the greatest differences The results showed that, in general, patients had a brain age greater than expected for their chronological age. However, this difference was more marked in some disorders than in others. The strongest associations were found in the dementias. Alzheimer's disease showed the greatest effect of all the groups studied, followed by mild cognitive impairment. Addictions were also associated with greater brain aging. The difference was most marked among people who had alcohol and tobacco use disorders at the same time. These are the disorders linked to faster brain aging, according to a study. Photo: Pexels David Henry An association was also observed in those who had only tobacco use disorder or alcohol use disorder. Psychiatric disorders also showed a greater brain age than expected. The difference was most marked in people with schizophrenia, followed by those with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. In contrast, the study did not find a significant difference in the brain age of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). "We found that brain age was generally greater in patients, with the largest increases seen in dementia, followed by addiction and psychiatric disorders, but not in developmental disorders," the researchers note. Different patterns in the brain The study also found that brain aging did not manifest in the same way in all disorders. In people with psychiatric disorders, the changes were related mainly to frontal and temporal areas of the brain. In those with addictions, patterns were observed involving different structures, including the putamen and the thalamus. In the dementias, meanwhile, they were related to frontal and occipital areas. Despite these differences, there was one area that appeared to be involved across the various disorders: the prefrontal cortex. "Accelerated brain aging is a common outcome of many disorders, and the prefrontal cortex could be the basis of important neuronal processes regarding the universality of this accelerated brain aging," the authors propose. The researchers also analyzed the genes related to these changes and found that they were linked to different biological processes depending on each disorder. "In the future, the brain patterns we have identified for each disorder could be tested to determine their usefulness as biomarkers to guide crucial clinical decision-making," the authors noted.