Maintained memory in aging is associated with young epigenetic age

Publication date: Available online 20 February 2017
Source:Neurobiology of Aging
Author(s): Sofie Degerman, Maria Josefsson, Annelie Nordin Adolfsson, Sigrid Wennstedt, Mattias Landfors, Zahra Haider, Sara Pudas, Magnus Hultdin, Lars Nyberg, Rolf Adolfsson
Epigenetic alterations during aging have been proposed to contribute to decline in physical and cognitive functions, and accelerated epigenetic aging has been associated with disease and all-cause mortality later in life. In this study we estimated epigenetic age dynamics in groups with different memory trajectories (maintained high performance, average decline, and accelerated decline) over a 15-year period.Epigenetic (DNAm) age was assessed and delta age (DNAm age - chronological age) was calculated in blood samples at baseline (55-65 years of age) and 15 years later in fifty-two age- and gender-matched individuals from the Betula study in Sweden.A lower delta DNAm age was observed for those with maintained memory functions compared to those with average- (p=0.035) or accelerated decline (p=0.037). Moreover, separate analyses revealed that DNAm age at follow-up, but not chronological age, was a significant predictor of dementia (p=0.019). Our findings suggest that young epigenetic age contributes to maintained memory in aging.



http://ift.tt/2m9K4eU