Danie Franco / Data
UC team shows the impact that certain chronic diseases associated with cognitive decline may have brain aging.
How do you chronic diseases can influence the brain aging?
This was the question that motivated a research team from the University of Coimbra (UC), which performed one that demonstrated the impact of certain chronic diseases associated with cognitive decline – such as the disease of Alzheimer, a diabetes type 2 and schizophrenia.
Researchers used artificial intelligence techniques and various local and worldwide databases.
Thus, it was possible differentiate the biological age of chronological age – This is a new way of measuring the impact of these chronic diseases that directly or indirectly affect the brain.
In cases of Alzheimer’s disease, aging can reach more than 9 years than the real age of the patient, reads in a statement sent to Zap.
This investigation is based on a new concept: brain age gap estimation. That is, the difference between a person’s chronological age and the estimated brain age (determined through artificial intelligence models that analyzed brain magnetic resonance imaging); All to show the impact of certain diseases on brain aging.
“Estimated brain age is the ‘biological age’ of the brain, predicted by models that analyze brain images. Its comparison with ‘chronological age’ (the actual age of a person, measured in years) allows to indicate whether the brain has aged more or less rapidly than expected. A positive value of Brain Age gap means a rapid brain aging, while a negative value is indicator of a younger brain of the point Biological view, with delayed aging ”, explains Miguel Castelo-Branco, senior author of the article.
With various models of artificial intelligence, were obtained maps which allowed to interpret that brain regions most contributed to the calculation of biological age.
And metrics were established that allowed average impact of each of the diseases studied (all three are associated or risk factor for cognitive decline) in brain aging.
“In the case of schizophrenia cerebral aging is about 2 years, in diabetes type 2 is 5 years, and in the disease of Alzheimer It reaches 9 years, ”describes Miguel Castelo-Branco.
The authors of the study believe that this study can open paths in the diagnosis of cognitive decline associated with these diseases. Because, in practice, it will be possible to “use this measure as a biomarker useful in early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases”Concludes Miguel Castelo-White.
