Brain age in chronic traumatic brain injury

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is linked to accelerated brain aging.
• Brain atrophy in grey and white matter may contribute to this phenomenon.
• Understanding brain age in chronic TBI is crucial for assessing long-term effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain age in individuals with chronic TBI (≥10 years post-injury).
• To examine the relationship between brain age, time since injury, injury severity, cognition, and functional outcomes.
• To compare brain age in TBI patients with healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Utilized T1-weighted MRI images to determine brain age in 102 moderate-to-severe TBI participants and 77 healthy controls.
• Assessed participants aged 40-85 years, with TBI participants an average of 22 years post-injury.
• Measured injury severity using post-traumatic amnesia duration and Glasgow Coma Scale.

Main Results:

• TBI participants exhibited a significantly greater brain age compared to healthy controls.
• Brain age gap was not associated with time since injury or long-term functional outcomes (Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended).
• Increased brain age correlated with higher injury severity (post-traumatic amnesia, Glasgow Coma Scale) and poorer verbal memory.

Conclusions:

• Chronic TBI is associated with an increased brain age, particularly in relation to injury severity.
• Brain age appears independent of the time elapsed since injury and long-term functional recovery.
• Further longitudinal studies are needed to ascertain if TBI causes a one-time brain age increase or ongoing accelerated brain aging.