Advanced brain aging: relationship with epidemiologic and genetic risk factors, and overlap with Alzheimer disease atrophy patterns
Habes M, Janowitz D, Erus G, Toledo JB, Resnick SM, Doshi J, Van der Auwera S, Wittfeld K et al.. Translational psychiatry, 2016-04-05
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
We systematically compared structural imaging patterns of advanced brain aging (ABA) in the general-population, herein defined as significant deviation from typical BA to those found in Alzheimer disease (AD). The hypothesis that ABA would show different patterns of structural change compared with those found in AD was tested via advanced pattern analysis methods. In particular, magnetic resonance images of 2705 participants from the Study of Health in Pomerania (aged 20-90 years) were analyzed using an index that captures aging atrophy patterns (Spatial Pattern of Atrophy for Recognition of BA (SPARE-BA)), and an index previously shown to capture atrophy patterns found in clinical AD (Spatial Patterns of Abnormality for Recognition of Early Alzheimer's Disease (SPARE-AD)). We studied the association between these indices and risk factors, including an AD polygenic risk score. Finally, we compared the ABA-associated atrophy with typical AD-like patterns. We observed that SPARE-BA had significant association with: smoking (P<0.05), anti-hypertensive (P<0.05), anti-diabetic drug use (men P<0.05, women P=0.06) and waist circumference for the male cohort (P<0.05), after adjusting for age. Subjects with ABA had spatially extensive gray matter loss in the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes (false-discovery-rate-corrected q<0.001). ABA patterns of atrophy were partially overlapping with, but notably deviating from those typically found in AD. Subjects with ABA had higher SPARE-AD values; largely due to the partial spatial overlap of associated patterns in temporal regions. The AD polygenic risk score was significantly associated with SPARE-AD but not with SPARE-BA. Our findings suggest that ABA is likely characterized by pathophysiologic mechanisms that are distinct from, or only partially overlapping with those of AD.
Key findings
- We systematically compared structural imaging patterns of advanced brain aging (ABA) in the general-population, herein defined as significant deviation from typical BA to those found in Alzheimer disease (AD).
- The hypothesis that ABA would show different patterns of structural change compared with those found in AD was tested via advanced pattern analysis methods.
- We observed that SPARE-BA had significant association with: smoking (P<0.05), anti-hypertensive (P<0.05), anti-diabetic drug use (men P<0.05, women P=0.06) and waist circumference for the male cohort (P<0.05), after adjusting for age.
- The AD polygenic risk score was significantly associated with SPARE-AD but not with SPARE-BA.
- Our findings suggest that ABA is likely characterized by pathophysiologic mechanisms that are distinct from, or only partially overlapping with those of AD.
Why it matters
In 2705 general-population participants, advanced brain aging was associated with factors such as smoking, anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic drug use, and waist circumference, and its atrophy patterns only partially overlapped with those of Alzheimer's disease. This is an imaging study of brain aging patterns and does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants2,705
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Translational psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Translational Psychiatry: journal h-index 180 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 2,705 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 141 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.8 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 40 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Christos A. Davatzikos: h-index 124 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Pennsylvania: institution h-index 1,859 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27045845) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.39
- PubMed: 27045845
- Original source →
- Free full text: Translational Psychiatry →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Habes, M., Janowitz, D., Erus, G., Toledo, J. B., Resnick, S. M., Doshi, J., et al. (2016). Advanced brain aging: relationship with epidemiologic and genetic risk factors, and overlap with Alzheimer disease atrophy patterns. Translational psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.39
Vancouver
Habes M, Janowitz D, Erus G, Toledo JB, Resnick SM, Doshi J, et al. Advanced brain aging: relationship with epidemiologic and genetic risk factors, and overlap with Alzheimer disease atrophy patterns. Translational psychiatry. 2016. doi:10.1038/tp.2016.39. PMID: 27045845.
BibTeX
@article{habes2016-27045845,
author = {Habes, M. and Janowitz, D. and Erus, G. and Toledo, J. B. and Resnick, S. M. and Doshi, J. and Van der Auwera, S. and Wittfeld, K. and others},
title = {{Advanced brain aging: relationship with epidemiologic and genetic risk factors, and overlap with Alzheimer disease atrophy patterns}},
journal = {Translational psychiatry},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1038/tp.2016.39},
pmid = {27045845},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.39}
}
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