SOCIAL CONNECTION AND BRAIN AGE IN FEMALES AND MALES

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

Poor social connection in aging is linked to negative health outcomes, including dementia. Structural components of social connection involve marital status, living arrangements, employment or volunteering, and social networks, yet sex-related differences in how these structures relate to brainageR (a machine-learning estimate of biological brain age) remain unclear. This study analyzes 171 dementia-free older adults from the LonGenity study to test whether sex modifies associations between structural social connection measures and brainageR acceleration (AgeAccel). Results show living arrangements and marital status relate differently to AgeAccel in males versus females, suggesting sex-specific patterns that require confirmation in broader samples.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and rationale

Study design and measures

Statistical approach

Key results

Implications and next steps

1256 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.4196 SOCIAL CONNECTION AND BRAIN AGE IN FEMALES AND MALES Helena Blumen1, Chava Pollak2, Sanish Sathyan1, Sofiya Milman3, and Joe Verghese1, 1. Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States, 2. Stony Brook University, Sto, New York, United States, 3. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, United States Poor social connection is associated with negative health outcomes in aging – including dementia. Structural aspects of social connection include marital status, living arrangements, employment/volunteering, and social networks. Sex-related differences in the structure of social connection have been observed in aging but how they relate to brainageR – or other machine learning estimates of the biological age of a brain – is currently unknown. This study of 171 Ashkenazi Jewish older adults without dementia from the LonGenity study (MAge = 72.59 years; 59% female) aimed to determine if sex modified associations between structural social connection measures (marital status, living arrangements, employment/volunteering, social networks) and brainageR acceleration (AgeAccel). Brain AgeAccel was defined as the residual from regressing machine learning-predicted brainageR Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 1257 estimates on chronological age. Separate linear regression models adjusted for potential confounders were applied to each social connection measure, and the interaction term between sex and social connection was the effect of interest in each model. Living arrangements (alone/with someone) and marital status (married/ not married)– but not employment/volunteering (yes/no) or social networks (social network index)– were differentially associated with brain AgeAccel in males and females. Males who lived with someone or were married had lower brain AgeAccel (better) than males who lived alone or were unmarried. Females who lived with someone or were married had higher brain AgeAccel (worse) than females who lived alone or were unmarried. These novel sex-specific associations are interesting but need the be confirmed in larger and more diverse samples of older adults.

FAQs

What health outcomes is poor social connection linked to in aging?

Poor social connection is associated with negative health outcomes in aging, including dementia.

What is brainageR acceleration (AgeAccel) in this study?

AgeAccel is defined as the residual from regressing machine-learning predicted brainageR estimates on chronological age.

Which social connection measures showed different associations by sex?

Living arrangements and marital status were differentially associated with AgeAccel in males and females, while employment/volunteering and social networks were not.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag