Brain Scans Reveal Which Disorders May Accelerate Brain Aging

A large MRI study found that some brain disorders are linked to older-looking brains than expected.

The strongest accelerated-aging signals appeared in Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment, with alcohol addiction and schizophrenia also elevated.

Different disorders showed distinct regional and gene-expression patterns, suggesting they affect the brain in different ways.

ADHD and autism spectrum disorder were not associated with accelerated brain age in this analysis.

The findings are correlational, but brain-age scans may help future diagnosis and disease tracking.