Our brain imaging research team continues to explore the relationship between brain biological age and the decline in physical and cognitive functions during the aging process by constructing brain biological age prediction models. The study on the brain imaging characteristics of physical cognitive decline syndrome (hereinafter referred to as PCDS ) was published in the Neurobiology of Aging journal.

PCDS is characterized by mild impairments in both mobility and cognitive function, but not to the extent of dementia or disability. It is considered a preclinical phenotype of disability and dementia. In the study in this year, we established a model based on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 1,482 healthy individuals and validated it in a community sample of 1,193 elderly individuals. The results revealed a significant discrepancy between the brain biological age and the chronological age in cases of PCDS. Additionally, subgroup analysis of individuals above and below the age of 65 showed that the brain biological age in the PCDS group was significantly accelerated compared to the healthy group. This indicates that brain aging may be a critical factor leading to concurrent physical and cognitive decline. By identifying and understanding the factors associated with accelerated brain biological age, this study suggests that PCDS could be a clinical phenotype reflecting accelerated biological aging in the elderly community.