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Based on one of the largest brain imaging studies ever done, it is possible to track common disorders and behaviors that prematurely age the brain. Better treatment of these disorders can slow or stop the process of brain aging. The study used brain single photon emission computed tomography SPECT imaging to determine aging trajectories in the brain and which common brain disorders predict abnormally accelerated aging.
It examined these functional neuroimaging scans from a large multi-site psychiatric clinic from patients who had many different psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Researchers studied 128 brain regions to predict the chronological age of the patient. Older age predicted from the scan compared to the actual chronological age was interpreted as accelerated aging.
The study found number of brain disorders and behaviors predicted accelerated aging, especially schizophrenia, which showed an average of 4 years of premature aging, cannabis abuse (2.8 years of accelerated aging), bipolar disorder (1.6 years accelerated aging), ADHD (1.4 years accelerated aging) and alcohol abuse (0.6 years accelerated aging).
Researchers did not observe accelerated aging in depression and aging, which they hypothesize may be due to different types of brain patterns for these disorders. The effect of modifiable and non-modifiable factors of brain aging will further guide advice to maintain cognitive function. The results indicate that we can predict an individual’s age based on patterns of cerebral blood flow.