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Brain clocks capture diversity and disparities in aging and dementia across geographically diverse populations
Moguilner S, Baez S, Hernandez H, Migeot J, Legaz A, Gonzalez-Gomez R, Farina FR, Prado P et al.. Nature medicine, 2024-08-26
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Brain clocks, which quantify discrepancies between brain age and chronological age, hold promise for understanding brain health and disease. However, the impact of diversity (including geographical, socioeconomic, sociodemographic, sex and neurodegeneration) on the brain-age gap is unknown. We analyzed datasets from 5,306 participants across 15 countries (7 Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC) and 8 non-LAC countries). Based on higher-order interactions, we developed a brain-age gap deep learning architecture for functional magnetic resonance imaging (2,953) and electroencephalography (2,353). The datasets comprised healthy controls and individuals with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia. LAC models evidenced older brain ages (functional magnetic resonance imaging: mean directional error = 5.60, root mean square error (r.m.s.e.) = 11.91; electroencephalography: mean directional error = 5.34, r.m.s.e. = 9.82) associated with frontoposterior networks compared with non-LAC models. Structural socioeconomic inequality, pollution and health disparities were influential predictors of increased brain-age gaps, especially in LAC (R² = 0.37, F² = 0.59, r.m.s.e. = 6.9). An ascending brain-age gap from healthy controls to mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer disease was found. In LAC, we observed larger brain-age gaps in females in control and Alzheimer disease groups compared with the respective males. The results were not explained by variations in signal quality, demographics or acquisition methods. These findings provide a quantitative framework capturing the diversity of accelerated brain aging.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Moguilner, S., Baez, S., Hernandez, H., Migeot, J., Legaz, A., Gonzalez-Gomez, R., et al. (2024). Brain clocks capture diversity and disparities in aging and dementia across geographically diverse populations. Nature medicine. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03209-x
Vancouver
Moguilner S, Baez S, Hernandez H, Migeot J, Legaz A, Gonzalez-Gomez R, et al. Brain clocks capture diversity and disparities in aging and dementia across geographically diverse populations. Nature medicine. 2024. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03209-x. PMID: 39187698.
BibTeX
@article{moguilner2024-39187698,
author = {Moguilner, S. and Baez, S. and Hernandez, H. and Migeot, J. and Legaz, A. and Gonzalez-Gomez, R. and Farina, F. R. and Prado, P. and others},
title = {{Brain clocks capture diversity and disparities in aging and dementia across geographically diverse populations}},
journal = {Nature medicine},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1038/s41591-024-03209-x},
pmid = {39187698},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03209-x}
}
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Key findings
- LAC models evidenced older brain ages (functional magnetic resonance imaging: mean directional error = 5.60, root mean square error (r.m.s.e.) = 11.91; electroencephalography: mean directional error = 5.34, r.m.s.e. = 9.82) associated with frontoposterior networks compared with non-LAC models.
- In LAC, we observed larger brain-age gaps in females in control and Alzheimer disease groups compared with the respective males.
- The results were not explained by variations in signal quality, demographics or acquisition methods.
- These findings provide a quantitative framework capturing the diversity of accelerated brain aging.
Why it matters
This analysis of brain-age gap models across 15 countries found older brain ages in Latin American and Caribbean datasets and an ascending brain-age gap from healthy controls to mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. It links socioeconomic inequality, pollution and health disparities to brain-age gaps but does not test any treatment or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants5,306
- Effect sizeor = 5.60; or = 5.34
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 70/100
Published in a top-tier journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (Nature medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Nature Medicine: journal h-index 763 (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 | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2024 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 5,306 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 127 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 31.8 citations a year over 4 year(s) since 2024 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 34.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 10 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 127 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Agustín M. Ibáñez: h-index 81 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 57 institution(s) in 16 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39187698) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 70 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03209-x
- PubMed: 39187698
- Original source →
- Free full text: Nature Medicine →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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