Brain Health.
Addiction can be accelerating brain ageing more than previously thought. According to a study led by scientists in England scientists found that alcohol and tobacco dependence were the second most brain ageing disorder after Alzheimer's disease. The results which analyzed almost 49,000 MRI brain scans position addiction as the most powerful threat to cognitive development and brain structure even outstripping schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. The researchers say these findings
increasing evidence that substance dependence should be considered and addressed as a severe brain disease rather than a lifestyle choice.
Nearly 49,000 individuals had an MRI scan and their data were used to draw these conclusions which were published in PLOS Medicine. Scientists used 45,900 healthy brain scans which were mostly from the UK Biobank to train an artificial intelligence (AI) model that can measure brain age based on the analysis of grey matter in 1,016 regions of the brain. The brain age gap which was used to measure accelerated brain ageing was calculated by the AI by comparing the participant's predicted brain age with their real age. The team also cross checked the results using several machine learning models and various brain mapping methods.
Interestingly among all the conditions studied Alzheimer's disease showed the biggest brain age gap. The most surprising thing though was that the brains of those who suffer from alcohol and tobacco dependence were found to be second compared to the brains of people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression. Researchers pointed out that participants in the addiction group fulfilled the clinical criteria for alcohol and tobacco dependence reflecting long-term drug and alcohol addiction. In contrast autism and ADHD did not indicate accelerated brain ageing suggesting that not all neuro and psychiatric disorders have the same effect on ageing.
Researchers discovered that the ageing process of addiction was not just on the surface of the brain but also in deeper areas such as the putamen and the thalamus which have important functions in reward, habit formation and movement. A common link in nearly all of the disorders was accelerated ageing in the prefrontal cortex which controls planning, judgment, decision making and self control. The researchers also found connections between changes in the brain associated with addiction and genes that play a role in generating energy, signalling and communicating between brain cells.
The researchers say it's important to note that the study does not directly link addiction to brain ageing but the results do underscore the strong relationship between substance dependence and structural brain changes. It is not yet known why a brain's ageing appearance may make it more susceptible to addiction or why addiction might make a brain appear older. Despite the findings the study offers a strong public health message that preventing and treating alcohol and tobacco addiction may be an important component in the preservation of brain health, brain function and the burden of neurological decline linked to age.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for diagnosis, treatment, or addiction support.
