Three-region brain aging model better predicted death risk
A three-region model scored 0.81 versus 0.79 for a whole-brain model on a measure of how well it ranked death risk.
10 years
In an observational study, researchers followed 1,240 adults living in the community for 10 years, during which 120 died. They compared whole-brain age estimates with a model combining age estimates from three brain regions. The regional model predicted mortality better than the whole-brain approach.
An analysis of 513 blood proteins linked the regional signatures to activation of the complement system, a group of immune proteins, and disrupted adaptive immunity, the body's targeted immune response. Repeated brain scans in 444 participants also identified patterns of faster brain aging linked to declining thinking abilities.
Why it matters
Brain aging offers a marker of health across the body. The work addresses whether changes in particular brain regions can help identify broader vulnerabilities as people age.
Caveats
The study was observational, so the associations do not establish that brain aging or immune changes caused deaths, or confirm the proposed biological mechanisms.
- Imaging
- Complement system
- Immune response
- Three-region brain age model
- Accelerated brain aging phenotypes
- Humans
The paper
Regional brain aging signatures predict mortality through neurovascular immune mechanisms
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Cell Reports Medicine, 7 Oct 2026, Open access
