Addiction Accelerates Brain Aging via Distinct Molecular Pathways

 


The groundbreaking study, published today in Genomic Psychiatry, examines how different substances, such as alcohol, opioids, and stimulants, affect the brain’s aging process at the molecular level, potentially explaining why individuals with SUDs often experience early-onset age-related diseases.

Accompanying the research article is an insightful editorial titled “The forgotten clockwork of the brain: Untangling accelerated aging in substance use disorders,” authored by Dr. Julio Licinio, Editor-in-Chief of Genomic Psychiatry.

Revolutionary Study Design and Methodology

The research team, led by Drs. Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon, Gabriel Fries, and Consuelo Walss-Bass, analyzed brain tissue from 58 donors with SUDs to assess differential aging patterns using specialized epigenetic clocks designed specifically for brain tissues.

Unlike previous studies that relied on more general epigenetic aging markers, this investigation employed brain-specific tools (DNAmClockCortical, CerebralCortexClockcommon, and PCBrainAge) to provide a more accurate assessment of neural aging.

“Our study is the first to investigate brain accelerated aging in substance use disorders using epigenetic clocks specifically designed for brain tissues,” explains Dr. Kluwe-Schiavon.

“This approach allowed us to capture unique aspects of the aging process in the brain that might have been missed with more general methods.”

The researchers focused on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a brain region central to decision-making and executive control that is particularly vulnerable to addiction.

By examining postmortem brain tissue and conducting sophisticated gene expression analyses, the team identified specific molecular signatures associated with accelerated aging in different SUDs.

Substance-Specific Aging Mechanisms Revealed

One of the study’s most significant findings was that different substances appear to accelerate brain aging through distinct biological pathways. In alcohol use disorder, researchers found altered expression of genes involved in protein phosphorylation, signal transduction, and glutamatergic synapse function.

For opioid use disorder, transcriptional regulation, neurodevelopment, and immune-inflammatory processes emerged as key drivers of accelerated aging. Stimulant use disorder showed distinct patterns related to oxidative stress, hypoxia responses, and cell adhesion pathways.

Event Name : International Molecular Biologist Awards

Website Link: molecularbiologist.org/

Contact Mail ID : support@molecularbiologist.org

Nomination Link  : https://molecularbiologist.org/award-nomination/?ecategory=Awards&rcategory=Awardee


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#AddictionScience #BrainAging #Neurodegeneration #MolecularPathways #Neuroscience #SubstanceAbuse #Neurobiology #CognitiveDecline #AddictionResearch #Neuroinflammation #OxidativeStress #Epigenetics #Neuroplasticity #ChronicAddiction #Neurotoxicity #AgingBrain #MentalHealthResearch #BrainHealth #Neurogenomics #TranslationalNeuroscience


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