Chinese and Israeli scientists have identified a gene that may slow down brain aging using artificial intelligence (AI). At the same time, they narrowed down drugs that can regulate this gene. Since these drugs are already used as other treatments, they are anticipated to be used much more quickly to suppress brain aging than developing new drugs.
A joint research team from Zhejiang University in China, Beijing Xiehe Medical Center, People's Liberation Army General Hospital, and Haifa University in Israel announced on the 13th in the international journal "Science Advances" that they have identified seven genes involved in accelerated brain aging and found 13 drugs that can suppress them.
As people age, everyone experiences a decline in brain function, but the rate of brain aging varies from person to person. Some individuals have brains that age faster than their chronological age. The researchers explained this concept as "brain age gap" (BAG). A larger BAG value indicates that the brain is aging more quickly than its actual age.
So far, the reasons for the occurrence of BAG and the genetic factors influencing it have not been clearly established. The research team utilized AI to investigate the causes of brain aging and study methods to slow it down. They trained an AI model with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 31,520 individuals in the UK Biobank to predict brain age.
The analysis showed that individuals with brain diseases such as dementia, depression, and schizophrenia exhibited a higher average BAG value. This means their brains are aging faster than those of healthy individuals. However, the research team noted that the causal relationship—whether brain diseases accelerate brain aging or whether brain aging influences the onset of diseases—has not been confirmed.
Through genetic analysis, the research team also discovered nine genes related to BAG. Besides genes reported in previous studies, genes such as TP53 and NKX2-2 have also been confirmed to be associated with brain aging. Furthermore, the team found that individuals with a larger BAG value are more likely to carry genetic variations related to intelligence, indicating that those whose brains age faster than their actual age may genetically possess lower cognitive function.
In addition, they discovered seven key genes (MAPT, TNFSF12, GZMB, SIRPB1, GNLY, NMB, C1RL) that may slow brain aging. The researchers explained that these genes are involved in inflammation regulation, neuron protection, and immune responses.
Based on this, the research team identified 13 existing approved drugs that may be utilized for treating brain aging, including rapamycin, dasatinib, and metformin, which have already been proven safe for other diseases. This allows for a quicker path to developing them as treatments. Heo Hyang-sook, a lead researcher at the Korea Brain Research Institute, said, "Developing a new drug typically takes more than 10 years, but utilizing existing drugs could allow application within 5 to 6 years."
This study suggests that brain aging is influenced by complex factors, including genetics and the environment, rather than just the passage of time. The researchers stated, "This study was conducted on individuals of European descent, and additional research is needed to clarify how the identified genes act in the aging process."
References
Science Advances (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adr3757