Brain Aging Study Reveals Shape Changes Linked to Dementia Risk
A groundbreaking study has revealed how aging affects the shape of the human brain. Researchers from UC Irvine, Universidad de La Laguna, and other institutions found that certain brain regions expand while others contract with age, linked to cognitive decline and Alzheimer's risk.
The research, led by Marta Garo-Pascual from the Alzheimer Center of the Queen Sofia Foundation and Alessandro Cellerino from the Leibniz Institute for Aging Research, examined over 2,600 brain scans of adults aged 30 to 97. They discovered that the inferior and anterior parts of the brain expand outward, while the superior and posterior regions contract inward as we age. These changes were replicated in two independent datasets, confirming their consistency.
These shape changes are associated with declines in memory, reasoning, and other cognitive functions. The entorhinal cortex, a key memory hub, may be physically stressed by these changes, potentially contributing to Alzheimer's disease vulnerability. More pronounced posterior compression was linked to poorer reasoning skills. The study suggests that tracking brain geometry could help identify individuals at risk of dementia long before cognitive symptoms appear, serving as a potential predictive marker for dementia risk years before symptoms emerge.
The study highlights the potential of brain geometry as a tool for early detection of dementia risk. Further research is needed to validate these findings and develop effective interventions based on these age-related brain shape changes.
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