A NEW study has explored the relationship between brain age and cognitive impairment in adults with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) and those facing economic deprivation. The study, which included 230 participants, found that individuals with SCA had an older brain age compared to healthy controls, potentially contributing to cognitive challenges.
Researchers used brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cognitive assessments to estimate participants’ brain age using a model called DeepBrainNet. This model compares estimated brain age to chronological age, a measure known as the brain age gap (BAG). The results showed that participants with SCA had a significantly larger BAG (14.2 years) than the control group (7.3 years), with a median difference of 6.13 years (95% CI: 4.29–8.05 years; P <0.001).
Interestingly, individuals in the control cohort, despite being healthy, demonstrated a larger BAG compared to a reference population, with a mean difference of 7.52 years (95% CI: 6.32–8.72 years; P <0.001). This gap was associated with higher economic deprivation, as measured by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI). For every 1% increase in economic deprivation, there was a significant rise in the BAG (β=0.079; 95% CI: 0.023–0.135; P=0.006).
In individuals with SCA, factors such as intracranial vasculopathy and haemoglobin S percentage were linked to an increased brain age gap. Additionally, brain age modelling was found to be a strong predictor of cognitive outcomes. In the control cohort, BAG was strongly correlated with executive function (r = −0.430, P=0.001), while white matter mean diffusivity had the largest effect size on cognition in the SCA cohort (r = −0.365, P=0.001).
The study also highlighted that BAG mediated the relationship between economic deprivation and cognitive performance, as well as between SCA and cognitive outcomes. This suggests that both socioeconomic factors and chronic disease may contribute to brain aging and cognitive decline.
These findings underscore the potential of brain age estimates as a tool for understanding the underlying mechanisms linking brain health with chronic disease and socio-economic status. However, the researchers note that further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these results.
Helena Bradbury, EMJ
Reference
Ford AL et al. Brain age modeling and cognitive outcomes in young adults with and without sickle cell anemia. 2025;8(1):e2453669.
