Brain aging patterns among nine neurological disorders: A case-control study

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Biomarkers
• Brain Aging

Background:

• The predicted age difference (PAD) from neuroimaging is a potential biomarker for brain health.
• Previous studies show brain age deviations in various disorders, but cross-disorder comparisons and underlying neuroimaging features are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically compare brain aging patterns across multiple common brain disorders.
• To identify neuroimaging features and gene expression profiles associated with these differences.

Main Methods:

• Utilized structural MRI data from 45,900 healthy controls and 2,698 patients across developmental, addiction, dementia, and psychiatric disorders.
• Calculated PAD differences using a linear model and identified associated brain patterns and gene expression profiles.
• Performed enrichment analyses to determine biological functions of associated genes.

Main Results:

• PAD was consistently elevated across disorders, with dementia exhibiting the highest deviations (AD: d=0.97, MCI: d=0.45).
• Addiction disorders also showed significant PAD elevations (A&TUD: d=0.84, TUD: d=0.72, AUD: d=0.62), followed by psychiatric disorders (SZ: d=0.53, BP: d=0.46, MDD: d=0.28).
• Developmental disorders (ASD, ADHD) did not show significant PAD differences. Specific brain networks (frontotemporal, default mode, salience, putamen, thalamus, fronto-occipital) were associated with PAD in different disorder groups, with common prefrontal cortex involvement.

Conclusions:

• Distinct brain aging patterns, associated with specific neural circuits, may serve as neuroimaging biomarkers for understanding neural aging mechanisms in brain disorders.
• These disorder-specific patterns warrant further investigation as potential biomarkers for clinical decision-making.