Neurocognitive age (NCA) as a predictor of cognitive health trajectories

NeuroCognitive Age (NCA) is a biofunctional marker designed to assess an individual's neurocognitive status relative to established norms. This indicator is derived from MRI images and neuropsychological scores using advanced statistical learning techniques (AI-driven; multimodal integration). Pre-trained models, calibrated on thousands of neuroimaging data and cognitive performance metrics, have been fine-tuned to accurately reflect neurocognitive variations throughout adulthood into very advanced ages (18-100 years). The NCA algorithm has been validated on longitudinal data from older adults (aged 45+), both with and without neurodegenerative disorders. It predicts neurocognitive trajectories with high accuracy (>80% correct predictions on average), enabling the detection of unfavorable changes prior to the clinical onset of symptoms. This precision research and clinical tool paves the way for early diagnosis and personalized interventions, facilitating the anticipation of patient needs and the optimization of therapeutic strategies.