Associations of accelerated biological ageing with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure: a prospective cohort study based on UK Biobank

Background Several small-sample studies have suggested that biological processes of ageing are implicated with dementia and cognitive function. We aimed to prospectively investigate the associations of biological age with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure based on the UK Bio...

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Main Authors: Xiao Ren, Xiaowei Zheng, Yonghong Zhang, Zhengbao Zhu, Mengyao Shi, Pinni Yang, Lulu Sun, Ruirui Wang, Yiqun Li, Wenyang Han, Minglan Jiang, Yiming Jia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group
Series:Stroke and Vascular Neurology
Online Access:https://svn.bmj.com/content/early/2025/06/02/svn-2024-003690.full
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author Xiao Ren
Xiaowei Zheng
Yonghong Zhang
Zhengbao Zhu
Mengyao Shi
Pinni Yang
Lulu Sun
Ruirui Wang
Yiqun Li
Wenyang Han
Minglan Jiang
Yiming Jia
author_facet Xiao Ren
Xiaowei Zheng
Yonghong Zhang
Zhengbao Zhu
Mengyao Shi
Pinni Yang
Lulu Sun
Ruirui Wang
Yiqun Li
Wenyang Han
Minglan Jiang
Yiming Jia
author_sort Xiao Ren
collection DOAJ
description Background Several small-sample studies have suggested that biological processes of ageing are implicated with dementia and cognitive function. We aimed to prospectively investigate the associations of biological age with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure based on the UK Biobank.Methods A total of 287 846 participants without dementia at baseline (followed until November 2022) were analysed. We measured biological age from clinical traits using the Klemera-Doubal method Biological Age (KDM-BA) and PhenoAge algorithms. Cox models were applied to evaluate the risk of dementia. Logistic regression models and linear regression models were used to assess the association between cognitive functions and brain structural measures.Results During a median follow-up of 13.68 years, 4744 incident all-cause dementia (ACD) events (including 3013 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and 853 vascular dementia (VaD)) were recorded. Participants with older biological age were at increased risk of incident dementia (HR=1.35, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.48 for KDM-BA acceleration, 1.71 (1.52 to 1.91) for PhenoAge acceleration). Those with the highest level of KDM-BA and PhenoAge acceleration had the highest risk of ACD risk, with the corresponding HR of 1.80 (95% CI 1.60 to 2.03) and 1.19 (1.09 to 1.29), respectively. The associations between biological ageing with AD and VaD were also significant. Furthermore, a higher level of biological age was associated with worse performance in multiple cognitive domains and brain structural measures.Conclusion A higher level of biological age may represent a potential risk factor for incident dementia and is associated with worse performance in multiple cognitive domains and brain structural measures.
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spelling doaj-art-3c8163c3d02c4f1d8b67dd13981b678a2025-08-20T02:03:05ZengBMJ Publishing GroupStroke and Vascular Neurology2059-869610.1136/svn-2024-003690Associations of accelerated biological ageing with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure: a prospective cohort study based on UK BiobankXiao Ren0Xiaowei Zheng1Yonghong Zhang2Zhengbao Zhu3Mengyao Shi4Pinni Yang5Lulu Sun6Ruirui Wang7Yiqun Li8Wenyang Han9Minglan Jiang10Yiming Jia11Public Health Research Center and Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, ChinaPublic Health Research Center and Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Major Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Major Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Major Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Major Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Major Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Major Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaPublic Health Research Center and Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, ChinaPublic Health Research Center and Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, ChinaPublic Health Research Center and Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, ChinaDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Major Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases, MOE Key Laboratory of Geriatric Diseases and Immunology, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaBackground Several small-sample studies have suggested that biological processes of ageing are implicated with dementia and cognitive function. We aimed to prospectively investigate the associations of biological age with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure based on the UK Biobank.Methods A total of 287 846 participants without dementia at baseline (followed until November 2022) were analysed. We measured biological age from clinical traits using the Klemera-Doubal method Biological Age (KDM-BA) and PhenoAge algorithms. Cox models were applied to evaluate the risk of dementia. Logistic regression models and linear regression models were used to assess the association between cognitive functions and brain structural measures.Results During a median follow-up of 13.68 years, 4744 incident all-cause dementia (ACD) events (including 3013 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and 853 vascular dementia (VaD)) were recorded. Participants with older biological age were at increased risk of incident dementia (HR=1.35, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.48 for KDM-BA acceleration, 1.71 (1.52 to 1.91) for PhenoAge acceleration). Those with the highest level of KDM-BA and PhenoAge acceleration had the highest risk of ACD risk, with the corresponding HR of 1.80 (95% CI 1.60 to 2.03) and 1.19 (1.09 to 1.29), respectively. The associations between biological ageing with AD and VaD were also significant. Furthermore, a higher level of biological age was associated with worse performance in multiple cognitive domains and brain structural measures.Conclusion A higher level of biological age may represent a potential risk factor for incident dementia and is associated with worse performance in multiple cognitive domains and brain structural measures.https://svn.bmj.com/content/early/2025/06/02/svn-2024-003690.full
spellingShingle Xiao Ren
Xiaowei Zheng
Yonghong Zhang
Zhengbao Zhu
Mengyao Shi
Pinni Yang
Lulu Sun
Ruirui Wang
Yiqun Li
Wenyang Han
Minglan Jiang
Yiming Jia
Associations of accelerated biological ageing with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure: a prospective cohort study based on UK Biobank
Stroke and Vascular Neurology
title Associations of accelerated biological ageing with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure: a prospective cohort study based on UK Biobank
title_full Associations of accelerated biological ageing with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure: a prospective cohort study based on UK Biobank
title_fullStr Associations of accelerated biological ageing with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure: a prospective cohort study based on UK Biobank
title_full_unstemmed Associations of accelerated biological ageing with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure: a prospective cohort study based on UK Biobank
title_short Associations of accelerated biological ageing with incident dementia, cognitive functions and brain structure: a prospective cohort study based on UK Biobank
title_sort associations of accelerated biological ageing with incident dementia cognitive functions and brain structure a prospective cohort study based on uk biobank
url https://svn.bmj.com/content/early/2025/06/02/svn-2024-003690.full
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