Lower Socioeconomic Status is Associated with Premature Brain Aging

Authors

Natalie Busby, University of South Carolina
Sarah Newman-Norlund, University of South Carolina
Sara Sayers, University of South Carolina
Roger Newman-Norlund, University of South Carolina
Janina Wilmskoetter, Medical University of South Carolina
Chris Rorden, University of South Carolina
Samaneh Nemati, University of South Carolina
Sarah Wilson, University of South Carolina
Nicholas Riccardi, University of South Carolina
Rebecca Roth, Emory University
Lisa Johnson, University of South Carolina
Dirk B. den Ouden, Chapman UniversityFollow
Julius Fridriksson, University of South Carolina
Leonardo Bonilha, University of South Carolina

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-23-2023

Abstract

Background

Premature age-related brain changes may be influenced by physical health factors. Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is often associated with poorer physical health. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between SES and premature brain aging.

Methods

Brain age was estimated from T1-weighted images using BrainAgeR in 217 participants from the ABC@UofSC Repository. The difference between brain and chronological age (BrainGAP) was calculated. Multiple regression models were used to predict BrainGAP with age, SES, body mass index, diabetes, hypertension, sex, race, and education as predictors. SES was calculated from size-adjusted household income and the cost of living.

Results

Fifty-five participants (25.35%) had greater brain age than chronological age (premature brain aging). Multiple regression models revealed that age, sex, and SES were significant predictors of BrainGAP with lower SES associated with greater BrainGAP (premature brain aging).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that lower SES is an independent contributor to premature brain aging. This may provide additional insight into the mechanisms associated with brain health, cognition, and resilience to neurological injury.

Comments

This article was originally published in Neurobiology of Aging, volume 130, in 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.06.012

Recommended Citation

Busby, N., Newman-Norlund, S., Sayers, S., Newman-Norlund, R., Wilmskoetter, J., Rorden, C., Nemati, S., Wilson, S., Riccardi, N., Roth, R., Johnson, L., Den Ouden, D. B., Fridriksson, J., & Bonilha, L. (2023). Lower socioeconomic status is associated with premature brain aging. Neurobiology of Aging, 130, 135-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.06.012

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.