The Influence of Accelerated Brain Aging on Coactivation Pattern Dynamics in Parkinson's Disease

Motivation: Aging has been widely recognized as the primary risk factor for brain degeneration, and Parkinson’s disease (PD) tends to follow accelerated aging trajectories. Goal(s): The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of structural brain aging on large-scale functional network temporal dynamics in PD. Approach: The level of brain aging was assessed by calculating global and local brain age gap estimates from T1-weighted images. Coactivation patterns of the whole brain were identified from fMRI to capture neural network activity. Results: Accelerated structural brain aging in PD affected brain function, which manifested as aberrant brain network dynamics. Impact: These findings relate whole-brain coactivation patterns to spatial variation in accelerated brain aging, providing insights into the neuropathological mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases and implying the possibility of intervention for PD progression by slowing the brain aging process.