Key points from article :
Elevated blood pressure is associated with older-looking brains and neurological diseases.
Identifying older-looking brains at key ages could determine the risk of developing a neurological disease in the future.
A 12-year study identified if the brains of individuals with optimal blood pressure stay younger for longer.
Used a machine learning algorithm, BrainAGE, to analyze 3D brain scans.
Lower BrainAGEs found in individuals who play music; higher BrainAGEs in Alzheimer’s patients.
BrainAGE algorithm was fed a thousand brain scans of various ages to predict the functional brain age of other participants.
The brains of individuals with optimal blood pressure (110/70 mmHg) appeared the youngest.
Differences of 6.7 years have been observed between individuals with and without Alzheimer’s disease.
“...effects of elevated blood pressure must build up over many years and could start in their 20s,” - Nicolas Cherbuin, lead author.
Study by ANU published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
