Disparities in Biological Aging and Brain Health - Insights from Diverse Midlife Adults

Sep 30, 2026

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Advanced biological aging reflects cumulative physiological damage driven by chronic environmental and social stressors, particularly under the Weathering Hypothesis in marginalized groups. Midlife is a critical window for brain aging, involving MRI structural changes such as increased WMH volume and reduced cortical thickness. This study evaluates how biological age acceleration (GrimAge) relates to MRI brain aging markers and how social determinants and cardiovascular burden may modify these relationships across racially and ethnically diverse adults.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Biomarkers

Poster presentation

Abstract

Background

Method

Result

Conclusion

DOI: 10. 1002/alz70856_104877 BIOMARKERS POSTER PRESENTATION NEUROIMAGING Disparities in Biological Aging and Brain Health: Insights from Diverse Midlife Adults Indira C. Turney1 Patrick J. Lao2 Benjamin D. Huber2 Miguel Arce Rentería2 Calen P. Ryan2 Jessica Mazen2 Justina F. Avila2 Daniel W. Belsky3 Jennifer J. Manly2 Adam Brickman2 1 National Institutes of Health / National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA 2 Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA 3 Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Correspondence Indira C. Turney, National Institutes of Health / National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA. Email: [indira.turney@nih.gov](indira.turney@nih.gov) Abstract Background: Advanced biological is associated with cumulative physiological damage resulting from chronic exposure to environmental and social stressors. The Weathering Hypothesis posits that such exposure—especially in marginalized populations—accelerates biological aging, contributing to health disparities and elevated Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) risk. Midlife is a pivotal period for brain aging, marked by structural changes such as increased white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume and reduced cortical thickness (CT). However, the interplay among advanced biological aging, MRI-based brain aging markers, and social determinants of health across racially/ethnically diverse populations remains poorly understood. Understanding these dynamics is essential for addressing disparities in brain health and AD/ADRD outcomes. Method: We examined the association between biological age acceleration (GrimAge) and ADRD-related MRI measures (WMH volume and CT) in 681 racially/ethnically diverse adults aged 45–65 years from the Offspring Study of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease. Linear regression models assessed the relationships between biological age acceleration and MRI outcomes, adjusting for age, sex, and estimated intracranial volume. Stratified analyses explored associations within racial/ethnic groups. Interaction terms tested the moderating effects of years of education and cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden on these associations. Result: In this diverse midlife cohort(66%women;69%Latinx,22%Black,7.5%White; mean age=54± 11 years; mean education= 13.3 ±3.4 years), accelerated aging was significantly associated with increased WMH volume (β=0.014, 95%CI [0.003,0.025]), but not cortical thickness (β=0.562, 95%CI [0.003,0.025]). The relationship between biological age and WMH was amplified in participants with greater CVD burden (β=0.028, 95%CI [0.011,0.045]). Participants with higher education, Latinx, or This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2025 The Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s Dement. 2025;21(Suppl. 2):e104877. [https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_104877](https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_104877) wi[leyonlinelibrary.com/journal/alz](leyonlinelibrary.com/journal/alz) 1of2 BIOMARKERS White showed less biological age acceleration. Stratified analyses revealed that the association between biological age acceleration and greater WMH volume was marginally strongest in Black (β=0.013, 95%CI [-0.008,0.033]) and Latinx participants (β=0.014, 95%CI [0.001,0.028]), compared with White participants. Conclusion: Accelerated biological aging is associated with increased WMH volume and may contribute to disparities in brain health, particularly among individuals with greater cardiovascular burden. These results highlight the need for targeted, multifaceted interventions that account for sociocultural and biological influences to reduce brain health disparities a

FAQs

What does the Weathering Hypothesis suggest about biological aging?

It suggests that chronic exposure to environmental and social stressors, especially in marginalized populations, accelerates biological aging and contributes to health disparities and elevated AD/ADRD risk.

How was biological age acceleration measured and what MRI markers were analyzed?

Biological age acceleration was measured using GrimAge, and associations were assessed with ADRD-related MRI measures: white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume and cortical thickness (CT).

What were the main findings regarding WMH volume and cortical thickness?

Accelerated aging was significantly associated with increased WMH volume, while it was not significantly associated with cortical thickness. Greater cardiovascular disease burden amplified the WMH association.

Sep 30, 2026

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