Prof. Güntekin’s study published in Nature Medicine

The study by the research team, including Prof. Bahar Güntekin, a faculty member at Istanbul Medipol University School of Medicine, which examines the effects of geographical differences and inequalities on brain aging, has been published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine. The study, “Brain clocks capture diversity and disparities in aging and dementia across geographically diverse populations”, looks in detail at the impact of global diversity on these differences using the “brain clocks” model, which examines differences between the brain age and chronological age of individuals. Data from 5,306 participants from 15 different countries were analyzed in the study. Participants included healthy people from seven Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries and eight other countries, as well as people with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and other types of dementia. The study used advanced technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). In addition, algorithms developed using deep learning methods played a crucial role in assessing brain age.

BRAIN AGE IS PROGRESSING FASTER IN LATIN AMERICA   
The research, conducted by Prof. Güntekin, who also continues her studies at Istanbul Medipol University Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technologies, reached a remarkable conclusion by showing that the brain age of people in Latin America is older than their chronological age. This has been linked to socio-economic inequalities in the region, limited health services, and environmental factors such as air pollution. In particular, the analysis of women showed that women in Latin America have a more pronounced brain age difference compared to men. The researchers said that this difference may be related to gender inequality and women’s greater susceptibility to diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Disease-related brain aging was also an important finding of the study. Brain aging was found to be faster in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. The study revealed a progression curve from healthy individuals to those with Alzheimer's disease and found that income inequality, low levels of education, inadequate health care, and non-communicable disease factors such as obesity and diabetes accelerate brain aging.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS SHOULD BE THE FOCUS  
The research highlights the need to focus not only on biological but also on socio-economic and environmental factors in understanding brain aging. The study also emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis of accelerated brain aging to prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and to improve treatment. The study draws attention to the role of reducing socio-economic inequalities and improving environmental conditions in protecting brain health, particularly in regions such as Latin America. It also highlights that previous research has focused on the Northern Hemisphere, ignoring global diversity, which is a significant obstacle to obtaining generalizable results worldwide.

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