Summary: A new study using advanced brain age estimation using deep learning shows that World Trade Center first responders with PTSD show signs of accelerated brain aging. Using BrainAgeNeXt, a model trained on more than 11,000 MRI scans, the researchers found that first responders with PTSD had apparently “older” brains than those without the disorder, especially among people with longer exposure to Ground Zero.
These findings suggest that PTSD may contribute to neurobiological aging and increase vulnerability to age-related cognitive decline. The work highlights brain age as a potential biomarker for monitoring neurological health in trauma-exposed populations.
Key facts
Older-looking brains: WTC first responders with PTSD showed significantly accelerated brain aging compared to their peers without PTSD. Exposure matters: Longer durations at Ground Zero further amplified the effects of advanced brain age. New biomarker: Brain age may help detect early neurobiological impacts of trauma and guide long-term monitoring.
Source: Mount Sinai Hospital
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have found that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be linked to accelerated brain aging among World Trade Center (WTC) first responders involved in rescue and recovery operations after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The study, published in Translational Psychiatry, is the first to apply a deep learning-based brain age model to this population.
The team used BrainAgeNeXt, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence model trained on more than 11,000 MRI scans, to estimate each participant’s “brain age.” They found that WTC first responders with PTSD had brains that appeared significantly older than their chronological age compared to those without PTSD. A longer duration of exposure at Ground Zero further amplified this effect.
“These findings suggest that PTSD is not only a psychological condition but may also have measurable effects on the brain aging process,” said Azzurra Invernizzi, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and first author of the study.
“Understanding these changes helps us recognize the neurobiological cost of trauma and can guide early interventions to protect brain health.”
The results provide new evidence that the long-term impact of post-traumatic stress disorder extends beyond mental health, potentially increasing the risk of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. The study offers a new biomarker, brain age, that could be used to monitor neurological health in trauma-exposed populations.
The findings also underscore the importance of continued monitoring and support for WTC first responders as they age, and highlight the need for policies that integrate mental and neurological health care for trauma-exposed populations.
“Many 9/11 first responders continue to experience the effects of trauma decades later,” said Megan K. Horton, PhD, MPH, Professor of Environmental Medicine at Icahn Mount Sinai and senior author of the study.
“By applying advanced neuroimaging tools, we are discovering how post-traumatic stress disorder and prolonged stress can alter brain structure and function over time. This work is crucial to developing strategies to detect and prevent early signs of cognitive decline.”
The study involved collaboration with researchers at Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine. It was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Health, and the Swiss National Science Foundation, among others.
“Mount Sinai has long been at the forefront of caring for World Trade Center first responders,” said Michael A. Crane, MD, MPH, medical director of the World Trade Center Health Program Clinical Center of Excellence at Mount Sinai.
“This study exemplifies our commitment to combining neuroscience, environmental health, and advanced computational tools to better understand and address the long-term impacts of trauma.”
Key questions answered:
A: Respondents with PTSD showed significantly higher brain age estimates than expected, indicating accelerated neurobiological aging.
A: They used BrainAgeNeXt, a deep learning model trained on more than 11,000 MRI scans to estimate “brain age” from neuroimaging data.
A: Accelerated brain aging may increase the risk of cognitive decline, making brain age a valuable biomarker for monitoring people exposed to trauma.
Editorial notes:
This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor. Magazine article reviewed in its entirety. Additional context added by our staff.
About this news on brain aging and PTSD research
Author: Laura Ruocco-Durán
Source: Mount Sinai Hospital
Contact: Laura Ruocco-Duran – Mount Sinai Hospital
Image: Image is credited to Neuroscience News.
Original Research: Closed access.
“MRI signature of brain age underlying post-traumatic stress disorder in World Trade Center first responders” by Azzurra Invernizzi et al. Translational psychiatry
Abstract
MRI signature of brain age underlying post-traumatic stress disorder in World Trade Center first responders
Approximately 23% of men and women who participated in the rescue and recovery efforts at the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) site experience persistent and clinically significant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Recent structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies demonstrate significant neural differences between WTC responders with and without PTSD.
Here, we use brain age, a novel MRI-based data-driven biomarker optimized to detect accelerated structural aging, and examine the impact of PTSD on this process.
Using BrainAgeNeX, a novel convolutional neural network that avoids brain parcellation and has been trained and validated on more than 11,000 T1-weighted MRI scans, we predicted brain age in WTC responders with PTSD (WTC-PTSD, n = 47) and in age/sex responders without PTSD (non-PTSD, n = 52).
Brain age difference (BAD) was then calculated for each WTC responder by subtracting chronological age from brain age. We found that BAD was significantly higher in WTC-PTSD compared to non-PTSD responders (BADno_PTSD = −0.43 years; BADWTC_PTSD = 3.07 years; p < 0.001).
Additionally, we found that duration of WTC exposure (months working at the site) moderates the association between PTSD and BAD (p = 0.005).
Our results suggest that brain age is a relevant marker of structural damage in WTC first responders with and without PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder may be a risk factor for accelerated aging in trauma-exposed populations.
