Gaby
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden conducted a study examining biological signals that indicate brain health in 739 cognitively healthy 70-year-olds.
The study found vascular health was the strongest marker of a youthful brain. You can boost vascular health through regular physical activity, a healthy diet, quitting smoking, and keeping blood glucose under control.
Brain aging was linked to physical inactivity, diabetes, prior stroke, and higher levels of inflammation and blood glucose.
They also found sex differences. For example, higher glucose levels appear to affect brain aging more in men than in women, according to Science Alert.
How Was the Study Conducted?
They assessed brain age using a deep-learning AI model trained on MRI scans from 18,000 cognitively healthy people.
They compared participants’ blood markers with the brain age estimates and with data on lifestyle, medical history, and cognitive test results.
‘The algorithm is accurate and reliable and simple to use,’ said Erik Westman, a clinical geriatrician at the Karolinska Institute. ‘It’s a research tool that still needs more evaluation, but our goal is to use it in clinical practice in the future — for example, in dementia research.’
Older adults’ brains are more vulnerable to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, and the team’s data offer clues about how to protect against cognitive decline.
Previous studies have linked brain age to factors such as blood sugar levels and poverty. Many of these can be addressed at the individual or societal level, the team says.
Anna Marsellia, a neurobiologist at the Karolinska Institute, said, ‘Despite the recent emergence of new drugs for treating Alzheimer’s disease, they won’t be effective for all dementia patients, which is why we want to investigate what can enhance the brain’s resilience to the pathological processes of aging.’
Because factors linked to brain aging differ between women and men, the team plans to study biological determinants (such as hormones) and sociocultural influences.
‘Next year, we will begin a study to understand how social health — particularly social engagement in middle and older age — as well as sleep and stress, affect brain resilience,’ Marsellia said. ‘We will pay special attention to factors related to women’s health.’
The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
