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Assessing the Utility of Predicted Brain Age for Explaining Variability in Language Abilities in Healthy Older Adults
Yanina Prystauka1, Foyzul Rahman2, Natalie Busby3
1Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Neurobiology of Language (Cambridge, Mass.)
|November 10, 2025
Summary
Brain age differences do not predict language performance in healthy older adults. This suggests other factors, not brain age deviations, influence language decline in aging individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Gerontology
Background:
- Age-related language decline shows significant individual variability.
- Understanding factors influencing this variability is crucial for healthy aging research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the discrepancy between chronological age and predicted brain age influences language performance in older adults.
- To determine if brain age deviations are a key factor in individual differences in language abilities.
Main Methods:
- Machine learning was used to derive predicted brain age from brain imaging data (grey and white matter).
- Bayesian mixed-effects modeling analyzed the relationship between brain age deviations and language task performance.
- Eighty-six healthy adults aged 60+ completed four language processing tasks.
Main Results:
- No significant association was found between brain age deviations and language performance.
- Individual differences in language abilities were not explained by the difference between chronological and modeled brain age.
Conclusions:
- Brain age is not a reliable predictor of language processing variability in healthy aging.
- Further research should explore other neural and cognitive factors contributing to language decline in older adults.
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