Thirteen proteins linked to brain aging in humans have been identified by researchers and presented in a publication in the journal Nature Aging.

The researchers set out to gain a deeper understanding of the brain’s aging process, as the incidence of neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia increases with aging, but effective treatments are limited.

They used multimodal brain imaging data for 10,949 healthy adults aged 45-82 to investigate potential markers of brain aging. They then analyzed the concentration of around 3,000 proteins in the blood plasma of almost 5,000 people, using data from the UK Biobank.

The researchers identified 13 proteins that have a strong correlation with the biological aging of the brain, mainly the protein Brevicana central nervous system protein. The levels of this protein, as well as the protein GDF15 in the blood were also associated with dementia, stroke and motor functions.

As it was found, moreover, the changes in blood concentrations of these proteins may peak at 57, 70 and 78 years in humans and this suggests that these ages may be important for possible interventions in the process.

The researchers point out that early detection and intervention in brain aging could help us prevent neurodegenerative disorders. They note, however, that their research focused on elderly people of European descent, so future research should investigate the role of these proteins in different ages and ethnicities.