Trajectories of Physiological Brain Aging and Related Factors in People Aged from 20 to over-80

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Lee, Jin San^a | Kim, Seonwoo^b | Yoo, Heejin^b | Park, Seongbeom^{c; d} | Jang, Young Kyoung^{c; d} | Kim, Hee Jin^{c; d} | Kim, Ko Woon^e | Kim, Yeshin^f | Jang, Hyemin^{c; d} | Park, Key-Chung^g | Yaffe, Kristine^h | Yang, Jin-Juⁱ | Lee, Jong-Minⁱ | Na, Duk L.^{c; d; j} | Seo, Sang Won^{c; d; j; k; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Medicine, Graduate School, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea | [b] Statistics and Data Center, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea | [c] Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea | [d] Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center 06351, Seoul, Korea | [e] Department of Neurology, Chonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju, Korea | [f] Department of Neurology, Kangwon National University Hospital, Kangwon National University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea | [g] Department of Neurology, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, Korea | [h] Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA | [i] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea | [j] Department of Health Sciences and Technology, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea | [k] Clinical Research Design and Evaluation, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Sang Won Seo, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Kangnam-ku, Seoul 06351, Korea. Tel.: +82 2 3410 1233; Fax: +82 2 3410 0052; Email: sangwonseo@empal.com.

Abstract: Background/Objective:In this study, we investigated a long-term trajectory of brain aging (from the 20 s to over-80) in cognitively normal (CN) individuals. We further determined whether differences in sex, education years, and apolipoprotein E ε 4 status affect age-related cortical thinning. Methods:A total of 2,944 CN individuals who underwent high-resolution (3.0-Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging were included in this study. Cortical thickness was measured using a surface-based method. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate age-related cortical thinning and related factors. Results:Compared to those in their 20 s/30 s, participants in their 40 s showed thinning primarily in the medial and lateral frontal and inferior parietal regions, and cortical thinning occurred across most of the cortices with increasing age. Notably, the precuneus, inferior temporal and lateral occipital regions were relatively spared until later in life. Male and lower education years were associated with greater cortical thinning with distinct regional specificity. Conclusion:Our findings provide an important clue to understanding the mechanism of age-related cognitive decline and new strategies for preventing the acceleration of pathological brain aging.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive disorders, dementia, magnetic resonance imaging

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-170537

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 65, no. 4, pp. 1237-1246, 2018