A Common Brain Network in Development Signals Dementia in Aging

The inverted-U component spatially corresponds to the structural pattern of abnormalities in Alzheimer’s disease and correlates with episodic memory in healthy subjects. (A) The spatial network corresponding to the inverted-U component IC4 (orange) closely matches the gray matter found to be atrophic in Alzheimer’s disease compared with healthy elderly (blue; thresholded for better visualization at P < 0.001; n = 120; voxel-by-voxel spatial cross-correlation: r = 0.55; P < 10−3). (B) The inverted-U component load for each of the healthy participants plotted against episodic memory score (CVLT long-delay recall; n = 370; linear fit is in turquoise; r = 0.31; P = 1.2 × 10−9) (SI Materials and Methods). Results presented here have not been age-corrected, as the relationship between episodic memory scores and age was highly nonlinear. In fact, their lifespan trajectory matched that of the inverted-U component (Fig. S6), explaining the linear relationship between the two presented in B. a.u., arbitrary unit.

 New research shows factors like diabetes, alcohol consumption, and traffic-related pollution may accelerate brain aging. Henrik Sorensen/Getty Images

• New research suggests factors like diabetes, alcohol consumption, and traffic-related pollution may damage a part of the brain associated with dementia.
• The brain area of concern is the last to develop during adolescence and is the first to deteriorate with age.
• The study also explored genetic factors that may influence the effect of modifiable factors on dementia risk.

A comprehensive new study examined the effects of a wide range of modifiable factors and dementia onset. 

The study authors had previously identified a “weak spot” in the brain that develops slowly in adolescence, deteriorates early during aging, and has been linked to dementia.

This new study’s findings indicate three factors are most likely to lead to the degradation of this fragile brain region: diabetes, alcohol consumption, and nitrogen dioxide from traffic-related air pollution.

Unique to this new research were two mutations of a lesser-studied genome and anenigmatic blood group called the XG antigen system.

The study is published in Nature Communications.