@article{20947e3f018041f7a10fd4eb0effb5fa,
title = "Validation of neuroimaging-based brain age gap as a mediator between modifiable risk factors and cognition",
abstract = "Neuroimaging-based brain age gap (BAG) is presumably a mediator linking modifiable risk factors to cognitive changes, but this has not been verified yet. To address this hypothesis, modality-specific brain age models were constructed and applied to a population-based cohort (N = 326) to estimate their BAG. Structural equation modeling was employed to investigate the mediation effect of BAG between modifiable risk factors (assessed by 2 cardiovascular risk scores) and cognitive functioning (examined by 4 cognitive assessments). The association between higher burden of modifiable risk factors and poorer cognitive functioning can be significantly mediated by a larger BAG (multimodal: p = 0.014, 40.8% mediation proportion; white matter-based: p = 0.023, 15.7% mediation proportion), which indicated an older brain. Subgroup analysis further revealed a steeper slope (p = 0.019) of association between cognitive functioning and multimodal BAG in the group of higher modifiable risks. The results confirm that BAG can serve as a mediating indicator linking risk loadings to cognitive functioning, implicating its potential in the management of cognitive aging and dementia.",
keywords = "Brain age gap, Cognitive aging, Machine learning, Mediation, Modifiable risk factor, Neuroimaging",
author = "Chen, {Chang Le} and Kuo, {Ming Che} and Chen, {Pin Yu} and Tung, {Yu Hung} and Hsu, {Yung Chin} and Huang, {Chi Wen Christina} and Chan, {Wing P.} and Tseng, {Wen Yih Isaac}",
note = "Funding Information: The authors are grateful to the data source of the Cam-CAN project ( http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/datasets/camcan/ ). The Cam-CAN research project was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (grant #BB/H008217/1 ), and the European Union's Horizon2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement #732592 ). The authors thank Wallace Academic Editing for assistance with English editing that greatly improved the manuscript. Funding Information: This research was supported in part by National Health Research Institute (NHRI) Taiwan (grant: NHRI-EX109-10928NI; Wen-Yih Isaac Tseng) and Taipei Medical University (grant number: 110-swf-03 ; Wing P. Chan and Chi-Wen Christina Huang). Funding Information: This research was supported in part by National Health Research Institute (NHRI) Taiwan (grant: NHRI-EX109-10928NI; Wen-Yih Isaac Tseng) and Taipei Medical University (grant number: 110-swf-03; Wing P. Chan and Chi-Wen Christina Huang).The authors are grateful to the data source of the Cam-CAN project (http://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/datasets/camcan/). The Cam-CAN research project was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (grant #BB/H008217/1), and the European Union's Horizon2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement #732592). The authors thank Wallace Academic Editing for assistance with English editing that greatly improved the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022",
year = "2022",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.03.006",
language = "English",
volume = "114",
pages = "61--72",
journal = "Neurobiology of Aging",
issn = "0197-4580",
publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",
}