Open AccessEpigenetic aging as a biomarker of dementia and related outcomes: a systematic review
Author(s) -
Aoshuang Zhou,
Zimu Wu,
Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo,
Daniel S García Torres,
Swarna Vishwanath,
Joanne Ryan
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
epigenomics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.265
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1750-1911
pISSN - 1750-192X
DOI - 10.2217/epi-2022-0209
Subject(s) - dementia , epigenetics , biomarker , cognitive aging , cognition , systematic review , meta analysis , cognitive decline , bioinformatics , gerontology , clinical psychology , medicine , biology , medline , disease , psychiatry , genetics , biochemistry , gene
Background: Biological aging may be a robust biomarker of dementia or cognitive performance. This systematic review synthesized the evidence for an association between epigenetic aging and dementia, mild cognitive impairment and cognitive function. Methods: A systematic search was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Results: 30 eligible articles were included. There was no strong evidence that accelerated epigenetic aging was associated with dementia/mild cognitive impairment (n = 7). There was some evidence of an association with poorer cognition (n = 20), particularly with GrimAge acceleration, but this was inconsistent and varied across cognitive domains. A meta-analysis was not performed due to high study heterogeneity. Conclusion: There is insufficient evidence to indicate that current epigenetic aging clocks can be clinically useful biomarkers of dementia or cognitive aging.