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Brain Aging Mediating Heart Imaging-Derived Phenotypes and Mental and Nervous System Disorders
Zairen Zhou1, Wenjing Su1, Yuna Li1,2
1Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disorders and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Aging Cell
|April 23, 2026
Summary
Brain aging, measured by brain age gap (BAG), may link heart conditions to mental and nervous system disorders in older adults. Lifestyle factors also influence these heart-brain aging connections.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cardiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Mental and nervous system disorders frequently co-occur with cardiovascular diseases in aging populations.
- The biological links between these conditions are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain aging as a mediator between cardiac phenotypes and brain disorders.
- To explore the role of lifestyle factors in these relationships.
Main Methods:
- Utilized brain and heart imaging data from 33,573 UK Biobank participants.
- Developed a brain age prediction model to calculate the brain age gap (BAG).
- Performed mediation analyses linking cardiac imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs), BAG, and 11 brain disorder categories.
Main Results:
- Sixty-one cardiac IDPs were associated with BAG, with many linked to mental/nervous system disorders.
- BAG mediated 18 heart-brain disorder associations, including substance abuse, mood, and neurotic disorders.
- Lifestyle factors like smoking and physical activity showed 49 significant associations with heart-brain aging-disorder pathways.
Conclusions:
- Brain aging, indicated by BAG, represents a potential pathway connecting cardiovascular health to various brain disorders in aging individuals.
- These findings underscore the importance of cardiovascular health in maintaining brain health and preventing neurological and mental health issues in older adults.
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