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Connectome-based predictive modelling predicts frailty levels in older adults
Amin Ghaffari1, Majd Abouzaki2, Yasmine Romero3
1Department of Bioengineering, University of California Riverside, CA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|September 5, 2025
Summary
Task-based brain connectivity, particularly in the caudate nucleus, predicts grip strength in older adults. This finding highlights the potential of brain connectomes as personalized markers for frailty.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Frailty, a decline in physiological reserves, increases health risks in older adults.
- Neural underpinnings of frailty are underexplored, especially using task-based functional connectivity.
- Limited research exists on brain functional connectivity related to frailty.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between task-based brain functional connectivity and frailty.
- To identify neural predictors of individual differences in grip strength, a key frailty indicator.
- To explore the utility of connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) in understanding frailty.
Main Methods:
- Utilized connectome-based predictive modeling (CPM) to analyze task-based functional connectomes.
- Focused on functional connectivity derived from tasks involving handgrip manipulations.
- Correlated brain connectomes with maximum grip strength as a measure of frailty in older adults.
Main Results:
- Task-based connectomes successfully predicted individual differences in grip strength.
- Functional connectivity within the Subcortical and Cerebellum network was the strongest predictor.
- Specifically, connectivity involving the caudate nucleus showed significant predictive power.
Conclusions:
- Task-based functional connectomes can serve as personalized biomarkers for behavioral measures like grip strength.
- The caudate nucleus plays a crucial role in the neural mechanisms underlying frailty.
- This study provides novel insights into the neural basis of frailty in older adults.
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