The ICeX framework: Brain age estimation from thalamic nuclei with conformalized and eXplainable random forest regression.

Alessia Sarica, Chiara Camastra, Assunta Pelagi, Fulvia Arcuri, Fabiana Novellino, Aldo Quattrone, Andrea Quattrone

Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro 88100, Italy; Neuroscience Research Center, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected] of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro 88100, Italy; Neuroscience Research Center, Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected]. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Accurate estimation of brain age is essential to identify deviations from typical aging trajectories, which may signal early neurodegenerative, psychiatric, or cognitive dysfunctions. Traditional models often rely on global brain features, potentially overlooking subtle region-specific alterations. This study introduces a novel framework for brain age prediction based on thalamic nuclei volumes-anatomically and functionally distinct structures known to be sensitive to aging. The objective is to enhance interpretability and reliability by integrating feature attribution and uncertainty quantification.

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 claims to enhance brain age estimation by focusing on thalamic nuclei volumes to improve interpretability and reliability. This research is relevant as it addresses the aging process by providing a method to identify deviations from typical aging trajectories, which could signal early neurodegenerative or cognitive dysfunctions.

Author of this paper? Send a correction.