United States: A new study revealed that higher levels of inequality, such as economic, environmental, or related to health, are perceived to be associated with faster brain aging, especially in countries where the disparities are to a greater extent.
The inferences were taken when the scientists conducted a study, analyzing five thousand participants coming from fifteen countries and measuring their brain age gap using deep learning vases and advanced brain clocks.
What have the study found out?
The study noted that inequalities based on socioeconomic lifestyle, pollution, and diseases have a major contribution in pacing up brain aging, with the most prominent effect to be seen in those with dementia and women in Latin American countries, as neurosciencenews.com reported.
Findings have underlined the need for public health policies addressing environmental and social factors in promoting global healthier brain aging.
The speed of brain aging can also vary significantly, which results in a gap between the biological age of the brain and the chronological age (the actual number of years a person has lived).
Reasons for brain-age differences
As experts say, the difference could be affected by various things, such as environmental factors, such as pollution levels, and social factors, such as income or health facilities disparities, which are perceived commonly among older adults and those with dementia.
It was not clear how these factors contributed to accelerating or delaying brain aging among diverse geographical populations until now.
How was the study conducted?
The scientists studied the data from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), where they quantified brain age gaps in healthy as well as in those with neurodegenerative problems like mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease, and frontotemporal lobe degeneration (FTLD).
According to Dr Daniel Abasolo, co-author of the study and Head of the Centre for Biomedical Engineering at the University of Surrey, “Our research shows that in countries where inequality is higher, people’s brains tend to age faster, especially in areas of the brain most affected by aging. We found that factors like socioeconomic inequality, air pollution, and the impact of diseases play a big role in this faster aging process, particularly in poorer countries,” as neurosciencenews.com reported.
According to the experts, those who participated and had dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s, showed the most critical brain age gaps.
The researchers also point out sex differences in brain aging, as women in LAC countries showed more brain age gaps, especially in those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Such differences are also associated with biological sex and gender disparities in health and social conditions.