Epilepsy is associated with the accelerated aging of brain activity in sleep.

Peter N Hadar, Mike Westmeijer, Haoqi Sun, Erik-Jan Meulenbrugge, Jin Jing, Luis Paixao, Ryan A Tesh, Madalena Da Silva Cardoso, Pierrick Arnal, Rhoda Au, Chol Shin, Soriul Kim, Robert J Thomas, Sydney S Cash, M Brandon Westover

Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston, MA, United States. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Although seizures are the cardinal feature, epilepsy is associated with other forms of brain dysfunction including impaired cognition, abnormal sleep, and increased risk of developing dementia. We hypothesized that, given the widespread neurologic dysfunction caused by epilepsy, accelerated brain aging would be seen. We measured the sleep-based brain age index (BAI) in a diverse group of patients with epilepsy. The BAI is a machine learning-based biomarker that measures how much the brain activity of a person during overnight sleep deviates from chronological age-based norms.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

The paper investigates the relationship between epilepsy and accelerated brain aging, specifically through the lens of sleep-based brain activity. While it touches on aspects of aging and cognitive decline, it primarily focuses on a specific neurological condition rather than addressing the root causes of aging or proposing solutions for lifespan extension. The findings may contribute to understanding the effects of epilepsy on brain function, but they do not significantly advance the broader field of longevity research. Thus, it is rated as a solid research contribution with limited impact.

Author of this paper? Send a correction.