Older age linked to higher brain enzyme levels in adults
An observational study used brain scans in 56 healthy volunteers aged 22–82 to measure an inflammation-related enzyme found mainly in brain immune cells.
Cohort study, registered NCT03324646
Limit: The whole-brain age association reached statistical significance only after correcting for age-related brain shrinkage
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational study of 56 healthy volunteers aged 22–82, including 30 women and 26 men, linked older age to higher estimated levels of the brain enzyme cyclooxygenase-1. The enzyme helps make inflammation-promoting molecules. Researchers used 90-minute positron emission tomography scans, which tracked a radioactive tracer binding to the enzyme. They reported no adverse drug effects from the tracer.
The age association appeared across the brain and in several individual regions. No significant sex differences emerged. Results were broadly consistent with and without a correction for age-related brain shrinkage. However, the whole-brain association reached statistical significance only after that correction.
Why it matters
The enzyme helps produce inflammation-promoting molecules, raising questions about its role in brain aging. The authors said its normal functions and possible contributions to aging remain largely unknown.
Caveats
This cross-sectional study compared people of different ages rather than tracking individuals over time, so it cannot establish causation. Researchers excluded cognitively impaired participants over 50 and participants over 65 whose scans showed deposits linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
The paper
National Institutes of Health
Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, May 5, 2026, Open access
