Negative fateful life events in midlife and advanced predicted brain aging

Sean N Hatton; Carol E Franz; Jeremy A Elman; Matthew S Panizzon; Donald J Hagler Jr; Christine Fennema-Notestine; Lisa T Eyler; Linda K McEvoy; Michael J Lyons; Anders M Dale; William S Kremen

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.03.004

Negative fateful life events in midlife and advanced predicted brain aging

Neurobiol Aging. 2018 Jul:67:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.03.004. Epub 2018 Mar 8.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. Electronic address: sehatton@ucsd.edu.
² Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
³ Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, USA.
⁶ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
⁷ Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA.

PMID: 29609076
PMCID: PMC5955847
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.03.004

Abstract

Negative fateful life events (FLEs) such as interpersonal conflict, death in the family, financial hardship, and serious medical emergencies can act as allostatic stressors that accelerate biological aging. However, the relationship between FLEs and neuroanatomical aging is not well understood. We examined 359 men (mean age 62 years) participating in the Vietnam Era twin study of aging (VETSA) to determine whether negative midlife FLEs are associated with advanced brain aging after controlling for physical, psychological, and lifestyle factors. At two different time points, participants were assessed for negative FLEs, health and well-being, general cognitive ability, socioeconomic status, depression, and ethnicity. Participants underwent a magnetic resonance imaging examination, and T1-weighted images were processed with FreeSurfer. Subsequent neuroanatomical measurements were entered into the Brain-Age Regression Analysis and Computation Utility software (BARACUS) to predict brain age. Having more midlife FLEs, particularly relating to interpersonal relationships, was associated with advanced predicted brain aging (i.e., higher predicted brain age relative to chronological age). This association remained after controlling for the significant covariates of alcohol consumption, cardiovascular risk, adult socioeconomic status, and ethnicity.

Keywords: Brain aging; Fateful life events; Magnetic resonance imaging.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Aging / physiology*
Aging / psychology*
Alcohol Drinking
Brain / diagnostic imaging
Brain / physiology*
Cardiovascular Diseases
Cognitive Aging / physiology*
Cognitive Aging / psychology*
Cognitive Dysfunction / etiology
Forecasting
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Life Change Events*
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Risk
Social Class
Stress, Psychological / complications

Negative fateful life events in midlife and advanced predicted brain aging

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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