Epigenetic Markers of Aging Predict the Neural Oscillations Serving Selective Attention

Abstract

Chronological age remains an imperfect measure of accumulated physiological stress. Biological measures of aging may provide key advantages, allowing scientists focusing on age-related functional changes to use metrics derived from epigenetic factors like DNA methylation (DNAm), which could provide greater precision. Here we investigated the relationship between methylation-based age and an essential cognitive function that is known to exhibit age-related decline: selective attention. We found that DNAm-age predicted selective attention abilities and fully mediated the relationship between selective attention and chronological age. Using neuroimaging with magnetoencephalography, we found that gamma activity in the anterior cingulate was robustly predicted by DNAm-derived biological age, revealing the neural dynamics underlying this DNAm age-related cognitive decline. Anterior cingulate gamma activity also significantly predicted behavior on the selective attention task, indicating its functional relevance. These findings suggest that DNAm age may be a better predictor of cognitive and brain aging than more traditional chronological metrics.

Cortical oscillations that underlie visual selective attention are abnormal in adolescents with cerebral palsy

“…Of note, the methodology employed in the current investigation is similar to what has been utilized in our prior experimental studies 11 , 12 , 16 – 27 .…”

Epigenetic aging is associated with aberrant neural oscillatory dynamics serving visuospatial processing in people with HIV

“…Peripheral whole blood samples were collected from each participant using BD Vacutainer EDTA tubes to assess DNA methylation metrics of predicted biological age based on the Hannum, Horvath, and consensus models, as previously described by Lew and colleagues [ 10 ] and Spooner and colleagues [ 57 , 58 ]. Briefly, DNA was purified from whole blood using DNeasy blood tissue extraction kits (Qiagen, Germantown, MD).…”

Biomarkers of ageing: Current state‐of‐art, challenges, and opportunities

“…In African Americans, EAA was significantly associated with CVD risk factors, such as systolic blood pressure and fasting glucose 74 . In terms of functional markers, it was found that people with greater EAA had poorer performance on lung function, walking speed, grip strength, cognitive ability, 75,76 verbal fluency, 77 selective attention task, and frailty 78,79 …”

“…74 In terms of functional markers, it was found that people with greater EAA had poorer performance on lung function, walking speed, grip strength, cognitive ability, 75,76 verbal fluency, 77 selective attention task, and frailty. 78,79 Longitudinal studies have further revealed an association between EAA and a higher risk of all-cause mortality, 80,81 and specific leading causes of deaths, such as cancer-related mortality and CVD-related mortality in EAA. 65,72,[82][83][84] EAA is not only associated with risk of cancer but also the prognosis of cancer.…”