Scientists have identified 13 proteins that may be linked to brain aging and could one day be targeted with anti-aging treatments.
However, experts say that more research is needed to know exactly why these proteins are tied to brain aging, and whether they point to specific solutions for diseases like dementia.
In a new study, scientists analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans from nearly 11,000 people ages 45 to 82. They used the scans to estimate each participant’s “brain age gap” — essentially how much their “brain age” differs from their chronological age.
The team determined people’s brain ages using artificial intelligence to look at specific physiological features, such as brain volume and surface area. This revealed the extent to which their brains were undergoing accelerated aging.
Related: Single molecule reverses signs of aging in muscles and brains, mouse study reveals
The team then assessed the concentration of approximately 3,000 proteins in the blood of nearly 5,000 of the participants. The blood connects the brain to the rest of the body, so changes in the concentration of proteins within the blood should reflect similar alterations in the brain.
Across the board, the researchers identified 13 proteins whose blood concentrations were significantly associated with biological brain age. Proteins that were linked to factors involved in aging — such as cellular stress and inflammation — increased in the blood as biological brain age rose. Meanwhile, levels of proteins that help maintain the brain’s function, including those involved in cellular regeneration, decreased as people aged.
Of the proteins that the team identified, one known as brevican showed one of the strongest links with biological brain age — it decreased in concentration as people aged, and those falling numbers showed a strong correlation with conditions such as dementia and stroke.
Brevican is known to help neurons communicate with one another, so this finding supports previous research that suggested the protein could act as a measurable marker for the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Furthermore, the scientists found that the concentrations of the 13 proteins peaked in the blood at specific chronological ages: 57, 70 and 78. This might reflect “waves” of brain aging that could be used as a reference point to target future anti-aging interventions, the team wrote in a…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Livescience…