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Cumplido-Mayoral I, Brugulat-Serrat A, Sánchez-Benavides G, González-Escalante A, Anastasi F, Milà-Alomà M, López-Martos D, Akinci M, Falcón C, Shekari M, Cacciaglia R, Arenaza-Urquijo EM, Minguillón C, Fauria K, Molinuevo JL, Suárez-Calvet M, Grau-Rivera O, Vilaplana V, Gispert JD. The mediating role of neuroimaging-derived biological brain age in the association between risk factors for dementia and cognitive decline in middle-aged and older individuals without cognitive impairment: a cohort study. THE LANCET. HEALTHY LONGEVITY 2024; 5:e276-e286. [PMID: 38555920 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-7568(24)00025-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroimaging-based brain-age delta has been shown to be a mediator linking cardiovascular risk factors to cognitive function. We aimed to assess the mediating role of brain-age delta in the association between modifiable risk factors of dementia and longitudinal cognitive decline in middle-aged and older individuals who are asymptomatic, stratified by Alzheimer's disease pathology. We also explored whether the mediation effect is specific to cognitive domain. METHODS In this cohort study, we included participants from the ALFA+ cohort aged between 45 years and 65 years who were cognitively unimpaired and who had available structural MRI, cerebrospinal fluid β-amyloid (Aβ)42 and Aβ40 measurements obtained within 1 year of each other, modifiable risk factors assessment, and cognitive evaluation over 3 years. Participants were recruited from the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (Barcelona, Spain). Included individuals underwent a first assessment between Oct 25, 2016, and Jan 28, 2020, and a follow-up cognitive assessment 3·28 (SD 0·27) years later. We computed brain-age delta and composites of different cognitive function domains (preclinical Alzheimer's cognitive composite [PACC], attention, executive function, episodic memory, visual processing, and language). We used partial least squares path modelling to explore mediation effects in the associations between modifiable risk factors (including cardiovascular, mental health, mood, metabolic or endocrine history, and alcohol use) and changes in cognitive composites. To assess the role of Alzheimer's disease pathology, we computed separate models for Aβ-negative and Aβ-positive individuals. FINDINGS Of the 419 participants enrolled in ALFA+, 302 met our inclusion criteria, of which 108 participants were classified as Aβ-positive and 194 as Aβ-negative. In Aβ-positive individuals, brain-age delta partially mediated (percent mediation proportion 15·73% [95% CI 14·22-16·66]) the association between modifiable risk factors and decline in overall cognition (across cognitive domains). Brain-age delta fully mediated (mediation proportion 28·03% [26·25-29·21]) the effect of modifiable risk factors on the PACC, wherein increased values for risk factors correlated with an older brain-age delta, and, consequently, an older brain-age delta was linked to greater PACC decline. This effect appears to be primarily driven by memory decline. Mediation was not significant in Aβ-negative individuals (3·52% [0·072-4·17]) on PACC, although path coefficients were not significantly different from those in the Aβ-positive group. INTERPRETATION Our findings suggest that brain-age delta captures the association between modifiable risk factors and longitudinal cognitive decline in middle-aged and older people. In asymptomatic middle-aged and older individuals who are Aβ-positive, the pathology might be the strongest driver of cognitive decline, whereas the effect of risk factors is smaller. Our results highlight the potential of brain-age delta as an objective outcome measure for preventive lifestyle interventions targeting cognitive decline. FUNDING La Caixa Foundation, the TriBEKa Imaging Platform, and the Universities and Research Secretariat of the Catalan Government. TRANSLATION For the Spanish translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Cumplido-Mayoral
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedicine, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anna Brugulat-Serrat
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Global Brain Health Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Gonzalo Sánchez-Benavides
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Armand González-Escalante
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedicine, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Federica Anastasi
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Milà-Alomà
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Northern California Institute for Research and Education, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Radiology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - David López-Martos
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Muge Akinci
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedicine, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Institute of Global Health, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carles Falcón
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mahnaz Shekari
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Biomedicine, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raffaele Cacciaglia
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Carolina Minguillón
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Karine Fauria
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Luis Molinuevo
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; H Lundbeck, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Marc Suárez-Calvet
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Servei de Neurologia, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oriol Grau-Rivera
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fragilidad y Envejecimiento Saludable, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Servei de Neurologia, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Verónica Vilaplana
- Department of Signal Theory and Communications, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Domingo Gispert
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroimagen de Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas y Envejecimiento Saludable, Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Madrid, Spain.
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2
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Meng D, Zhang S, Huang Y, Mao K, Han JDJ. Application of AI in biological age prediction. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2024; 85:102777. [PMID: 38310737 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2024.102777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
The development of anti-aging interventions requires quantitative measurement of biological age. Machine learning models, known as "aging clocks," are built by leveraging diverse aging biomarkers that vary across lifespan to predict biological age. In addition to traditional aging clocks harnessing epigenetic signatures derived from bulk samples, emerging technologies allow the biological age estimating at single-cell level to dissect cellular diversity in aging tissues. Moreover, imaging-based aging clocks are increasingly employed with the advantage of non-invasive measurement, making it suitable for large-scale human cohort studies. To fully capture the features in the ever-growing multi-modal and high-dimensional aging-related data and uncover disease associations, deep-learning based approaches, which are effective to learn complex and non-linear relationships without relying on pre-defined features, are increasingly applied. The use of big data and AI-based aging clocks has achieved high accuracy, interpretability and generalizability, guiding clinical applications to delay age-related diseases and extend healthy lifespans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Meng
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shiqiang Zhang
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yuanfang Huang
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Kehang Mao
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jing-Dong J Han
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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3
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Petzold J, Pochon JBF, Ghahremani DG, London ED. Structural indices of brain aging in methamphetamine use disorder. Drug Alcohol Depend 2024; 256:111107. [PMID: 38330525 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2024.111107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Methamphetamine use is surging globally. It has been linked to premature stroke, Parkinsonism, and dementia, suggesting that it may accelerate brain aging. METHODS We performed a retrospective study to determine if structural indices of brain aging were more prevalent prior to old age (26 - 54 years) in individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD), who were in early abstinence (M ± SD = 22.1 ± 25.6 days) than in healthy control (HC) participants. We compared T1-weighted MRI brain scans in age- and sex-matched groups (n = 89/group) on three structural features of brain aging: the brain volume/cerebrospinal fluid (BV/CSF) index, volume of white matter hypointensities/lesions, and choroid plexus volume. RESULTS The MUD group had a lower mean BV/CSF index and larger volumes of white matter hypointensities and choroid plexus (p-values < 0.01). Regression analyses showed significant age-by-group effects, indicating different age trajectories of the BV/CSF index and choroid plexus volume, consistent with abnormal global brain atrophy and choroid plexus pathology in the MUD group. Significant age and group main effects reflected a larger volume of white matter hypointensities for older participants across groups and for the MUD group irrespective of age. None of the three measures of brain aging correlated significantly with recent use or duration of recent abstinence from methamphetamine. CONCLUSIONS Premature brain pathology, which may reflect cerebrovascular damage and dysfunction of the choroid plexus, occurs in people with MUD. Such pathology may affect cognition and thereby efficacy of behavioral treatments for MUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Petzold
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jean-Baptiste F Pochon
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Dara G Ghahremani
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Edythe D London
- Jane and Terry Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Brain Research Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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4
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Chen H, Wang H, Yu M, Duan B. Structure-decoupled functional connectome-based brain age prediction provides higher association to cognition. Neuroreport 2024; 35:42-48. [PMID: 37994631 PMCID: PMC10756698 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Brain age prediction as well as the prediction difference has been well examined to be a potential biomarker for brain disease or abnormal aging process. However, less knowledge was reported for the cognitive association within normal population. In this study, we proposed a novel approach to brain age prediction by structure-decoupled functional connectome. The original functional connectome was decomposed and decoupled into a structure-decoupled functional connectome using structural connectome harmonics. Our method was applied to a large dataset of normal aging individuals and achieved a high correlation between predicted and chronological age (r = 0.77). Both the original FC and structure-decoupled FC could be well-trained in a brain age prediction model. Significant remarkable relationships between the brain age prediction difference (predicted age minus chronological age) and cognitive scores were discovered. However, the brain age-predicted difference driven by structure-decoupled FC showed a stronger correction to the two cognitive scores (MMSE: r = -0.27, P -value = 0.002; MoCA: r = -0.32, P -value = 0.0003). Our findings suggest that our structure-decoupled functional connectivity approach could provide a more individual-specific functional network, leading to improved brain age prediction performance and a better understanding of cognitive decline in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Huiqiao Medical Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Haiyan Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Huiqiao Medical Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Mingxia Yu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Huiqiao Medical Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Bin Duan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Huiqiao Medical Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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5
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Yang Y, Sathe A, Schilling K, Shashikumar N, Moore E, Dumitrescu L, Pechman KR, Landman BA, Gifford KA, Hohman TJ, Jefferson AL, Archer DB. A deep neural network estimation of brain age is sensitive to cognitive impairment and decline. PACIFIC SYMPOSIUM ON BIOCOMPUTING. PACIFIC SYMPOSIUM ON BIOCOMPUTING 2024; 29:148-162. [PMID: 38160276 PMCID: PMC10764074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is age. While both normal aging and AD pathology involve structural changes in the brain, their trajectories of atrophy are not the same. Recent developments in artificial intelligence have encouraged studies to leverage neuroimaging-derived measures and deep learning approaches to predict brain age, which has shown promise as a sensitive biomarker in diagnosing and monitoring AD. However, prior efforts primarily involved structural magnetic resonance imaging and conventional diffusion MRI (dMRI) metrics without accounting for partial volume effects. To address this issue, we post-processed our dMRI scans with an advanced free-water (FW) correction technique to compute distinct FW-corrected fractional anisotropy (FAFWcorr) and FW maps that allow for the separation of tissue from fluid in a scan. We built 3 densely connected neural networks from FW-corrected dMRI, T1-weighted MRI, and combined FW+T1 features, respectively, to predict brain age. We then investigated the relationship of actual age and predicted brain ages with cognition. We found that all models accurately predicted actual age in cognitively unimpaired (CU) controls (FW: r=0.66, p=1.62x10-32; T1: r=0.61, p=1.45x10-26, FW+T1: r=0.77, p=6.48x10-50) and distinguished between CU and mild cognitive impairment participants (FW: p=0.006; T1: p=0.048; FW+T1: p=0.003), with FW+T1-derived age showing best performance. Additionally, all predicted brain age models were significantly associated with cross-sectional cognition (memory, FW: β=-1.094, p=6.32x10-7; T1: β=-1.331, p=6.52x10-7; FW+T1: β=-1.476, p=2.53x10-10; executive function, FW: β=-1.276, p=1.46x10-9; T1: β=-1.337, p=2.52x10-7; FW+T1: β=-1.850, p=3.85x10-17) and longitudinal cognition (memory, FW: β=-0.091, p=4.62x10-11; T1: β=-0.097, p=1.40x10-8; FW+T1: β=-0.101, p=1.35x10-11; executive function, FW: β=-0.125, p=1.20x10-10; T1: β=-0.163, p=4.25x10-12; FW+T1: β=-0.158, p=1.65x10-14). Our findings provide evidence that both T1-weighted MRI and dMRI measures improve brain age prediction and support predicted brain age as a sensitive biomarker of cognition and cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisu Yang
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Aditi Sathe
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Kurt Schilling
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Niranjana Shashikumar
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Elizabeth Moore
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Logan Dumitrescu
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Kimberly R. Pechman
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Bennett A. Landman
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Radiology & Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Katherine A. Gifford
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Timothy J. Hohman
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Angela L. Jefferson
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Derek B. Archer
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer's Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
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Kalyakulina A, Yusipov I, Moskalev A, Franceschi C, Ivanchenko M. eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) in aging clock models. Ageing Res Rev 2024; 93:102144. [PMID: 38030090 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
XAI is a rapidly progressing field of machine learning, aiming to unravel the predictions of complex models. XAI is especially required in sensitive applications, e.g. in health care, when diagnosis, recommendations and treatment choices might rely on the decisions made by artificial intelligence systems. AI approaches have become widely used in aging research as well, in particular, in developing biological clock models and identifying biomarkers of aging and age-related diseases. However, the potential of XAI here awaits to be fully appreciated. We discuss the application of XAI for developing the "aging clocks" and present a comprehensive analysis of the literature categorized by the focus on particular physiological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Kalyakulina
- Institute of Biogerontology, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603022, Russia; Research Center for Trusted Artificial Intelligence, The Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 109004, Russia; Department of Applied Mathematics, Institute of Information Technologies, Mathematics and Mechanics, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603022, Russia.
| | - Igor Yusipov
- Institute of Biogerontology, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603022, Russia; Research Center for Trusted Artificial Intelligence, The Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 109004, Russia; Department of Applied Mathematics, Institute of Information Technologies, Mathematics and Mechanics, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603022, Russia
| | - Alexey Moskalev
- Institute of Biogerontology, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603022, Russia
| | - Claudio Franceschi
- Institute of Biogerontology, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603022, Russia
| | - Mikhail Ivanchenko
- Institute of Biogerontology, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603022, Russia; Department of Applied Mathematics, Institute of Information Technologies, Mathematics and Mechanics, Lobachevsky State University, Nizhny Novgorod 603022, Russia
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7
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Millar PR, Gordon BA, Wisch JK, Schultz SA, Benzinger TL, Cruchaga C, Hassenstab JJ, Ibanez L, Karch C, Llibre-Guerra JJ, Morris JC, Perrin RJ, Supnet-Bell C, Xiong C, Allegri RF, Berman SB, Chhatwal JP, Chrem Mendez PA, Day GS, Hofmann A, Ikeuchi T, Jucker M, Lee JH, Levin J, Lopera F, Niimi Y, Sánchez-González VJ, Schofield PR, Sosa-Ortiz AL, Vöglein J, Bateman RJ, Ances BM, McDade EM. Advanced structural brain aging in preclinical autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease. Mol Neurodegener 2023; 18:98. [PMID: 38111006 PMCID: PMC10729487 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-023-00688-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND "Brain-predicted age" estimates biological age from complex, nonlinear features in neuroimaging scans. The brain age gap (BAG) between predicted and chronological age is elevated in sporadic Alzheimer disease (AD), but is underexplored in autosomal dominant AD (ADAD), in which AD progression is highly predictable with minimal confounding age-related co-pathology. METHODS We modeled BAG in 257 deeply-phenotyped ADAD mutation-carriers and 179 non-carriers from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network using minimally-processed structural MRI scans. We then tested whether BAG differed as a function of mutation and cognitive status, or estimated years until symptom onset, and whether it was associated with established markers of amyloid (PiB PET, CSF amyloid-β-42/40), phosphorylated tau (CSF and plasma pTau-181), neurodegeneration (CSF and plasma neurofilament-light-chain [NfL]), and cognition (global neuropsychological composite and CDR-sum of boxes). We compared BAG to other MRI measures, and examined heterogeneity in BAG as a function of ADAD mutation variants, APOE ε4 carrier status, sex, and education. RESULTS Advanced brain aging was observed in mutation-carriers approximately 7 years before expected symptom onset, in line with other established structural indicators of atrophy. BAG was moderately associated with amyloid PET and strongly associated with pTau-181, NfL, and cognition in mutation-carriers. Mutation variants, sex, and years of education contributed to variability in BAG. CONCLUSIONS We extend prior work using BAG from sporadic AD to ADAD, noting consistent results. BAG associates well with markers of pTau, neurodegeneration, and cognition, but to a lesser extent, amyloid, in ADAD. BAG may capture similar signal to established MRI measures. However, BAG offers unique benefits in simplicity of data processing and interpretation. Thus, results in this unique ADAD cohort with few age-related confounds suggest that brain aging attributable to AD neuropathology can be accurately quantified from minimally-processed MRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter R Millar
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Brian A Gordon
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Julie K Wisch
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stephanie A Schultz
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tammie Ls Benzinger
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carlos Cruchaga
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jason J Hassenstab
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Laura Ibanez
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- NeuroGenomics & Informatics Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Celeste Karch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - John C Morris
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Richard J Perrin
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Chengjie Xiong
- Department of Biostatistics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Sarah B Berman
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jasmeer P Chhatwal
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Gregory S Day
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Anna Hofmann
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Takeshi Ikeuchi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Mathias Jucker
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Cellular Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jae-Hong Lee
- Department of Neurology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Johannes Levin
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | | | - Yoshiki Niimi
- Unit for Early and Exploratory Clinical Development, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Victor J Sánchez-González
- Departamento de Clínicas, CUALTOS, Universidad de Guadalajara, Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, México
| | - Peter R Schofield
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ana Luisa Sosa-Ortiz
- Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugía MVS, CDMX, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jonathan Vöglein
- Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Munich, Germany
| | - Randall J Bateman
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Beau M Ances
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Eric M McDade
- Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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8
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Valdes-Hernandez PA, Nodarse CL, Johnson AJ, Montesino-Goicolea S, Bashyam V, Davatzikos C, Peraza JA, Cole JH, Huo Z, Fillingim RB, Cruz-Almeida Y. Brain-predicted age difference estimated using DeepBrainNet is significantly associated with pain and function-a multi-institutional and multiscanner study. Pain 2023; 164:2822-2838. [PMID: 37490099 PMCID: PMC10805955 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Brain age predicted differences (brain-PAD: predicted brain age minus chronological age) have been reported to be significantly larger for individuals with chronic pain compared with those without. However, a debate remains after one article showed no significant differences. Using Gaussian Process Regression, an article provides evidence that these negative results might owe to the use of mixed samples by reporting a differential effect of chronic pain on brain-PAD across pain types. However, some remaining methodological issues regarding training sample size and sex-specific effects should be tackled before settling this controversy. Here, we explored differences in brain-PAD between musculoskeletal pain types and controls using a novel convolutional neural network for predicting brain-PADs, ie, DeepBrainNet. Based on a very large, multi-institutional, and heterogeneous training sample and requiring less magnetic resonance imaging preprocessing than other methods for brain age prediction, DeepBrainNet offers robust and reproducible brain-PADs, possibly highly sensitive to neuropathology. Controlling for scanner-related variability, we used a large sample (n = 660) with different scanners, ages (19-83 years), and musculoskeletal pain types (chronic low back [CBP] and osteoarthritis [OA] pain). Irrespective of sex, brain-PAD of OA pain participants was ∼3 to 4.7 years higher than that of CBP and controls, whereas brain-PAD did not significantly differ among controls and CBP. Moreover, brain-PAD was significantly related to multiple variables underlying the multidimensional pain experience. This comprehensive work adds evidence of pain type-specific effects of chronic pain on brain age. This could help in the clarification of the debate around possible relationships between brain aging mechanisms and pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A. Valdes-Hernandez
- Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida, USA
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, USA
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, USA
| | - Chavier Laffitte Nodarse
- Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida, USA
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, USA
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, USA
| | - Alisa J. Johnson
- Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida, USA
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, USA
| | - Soamy Montesino-Goicolea
- Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida, USA
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, USA
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, USA
| | - Vishnu Bashyam
- AI2D Center for AI and Data Science for Integrated Diagnostics; and Center for Biomedical Image Computing & Analytics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA
- Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Imaging Lab (AIBIL), Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christos Davatzikos
- AI2D Center for AI and Data Science for Integrated Diagnostics; and Center for Biomedical Image Computing & Analytics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Julio A. Peraza
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, USA
| | - James H. Cole
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, UK
- Dementia Research Centre, Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK
| | - Zhiguang Huo
- Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA
| | - Roger B. Fillingim
- Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida, USA
| | - Yenisel Cruz-Almeida
- Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science, University of Florida, USA
- Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, USA
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, USA
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9
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Yang Y, Sathe A, Schilling K, Shashikumar N, Moore E, Dumitrescu L, Pechman KR, Landman BA, Gifford KA, Hohman TJ, Jefferson AL, Archer DB. A deep neural network estimation of brain age is sensitive to cognitive impairment and decline. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.10.552494. [PMID: 37645837 PMCID: PMC10461919 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.10.552494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The greatest known risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is age. While both normal aging and AD pathology involve structural changes in the brain, their trajectories of atrophy are not the same. Recent developments in artificial intelligence have encouraged studies to leverage neuroimaging-derived measures and deep learning approaches to predict brain age, which has shown promise as a sensitive biomarker in diagnosing and monitoring AD. However, prior efforts primarily involved structural magnetic resonance imaging and conventional diffusion MRI (dMRI) metrics without accounting for partial volume effects. To address this issue, we post-processed our dMRI scans with an advanced free-water (FW) correction technique to compute distinct FW-corrected fractional anisotropy (FAFWcorr) and FW maps that allow for the separation of tissue from fluid in a scan. We built 3 densely connected neural networks from FW-corrected dMRI, T1-weighted MRI, and combined FW+T1 features, respectively, to predict brain age. We then investigated the relationship of actual age and predicted brain ages with cognition. We found that all models accurately predicted actual age in cognitively unimpaired (CU) controls (FW: r=0.66, p=1.62×10-32; T1: r=0.61, p=1.45×10-26, FW+T1: r=0.77, p=6.48×10-50) and distinguished between CU and mild cognitive impairment participants (FW: p=0.006; T1: p=0.048; FW+T1: p=0.003), with FW+T1-derived age showing best performance. Additionally, all predicted brain age models were significantly associated with cross-sectional cognition (memory, FW: β=-1.094, p=6.32×10-7; T1: β=-1.331, p=6.52×10-7; FW+T1: β=-1.476, p=2.53×10-10; executive function, FW: β=-1.276, p=1.46×10-9; T1: β=-1.337, p=2.52×10-7; FW+T1: β=-1.850, p=3.85×10-17) and longitudinal cognition (memory, FW: β=-0.091, p=4.62×10-11; T1: β=-0.097, p=1.40×10-8; FW+T1: β=-0.101, p=1.35×10-11; executive function, FW: β=-0.125, p=1.20×10-10; T1: β=-0.163, p=4.25×10-12; FW+T1: β=-0.158, p=1.65×10-14). Our findings provide evidence that both T1-weighted MRI and dMRI measures improve brain age prediction and support predicted brain age as a sensitive biomarker of cognition and cognitive decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisu Yang
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Aditi Sathe
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Kurt Schilling
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Niranjana Shashikumar
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Elizabeth Moore
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Logan Dumitrescu
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Kimberly R. Pechman
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Bennett A. Landman
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Radiology & Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Katherine A. Gifford
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Timothy J. Hohman
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Angela L. Jefferson
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
| | - Derek B. Archer
- Vanderbilt Memory and Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
- Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA, 37212
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