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Brain age prediction in generalized anxiety disorder using a convolutional neural network

Translational Psychiatry, vol. 16

Abstract

Higher predicted brain age difference has been associated with several psychiatric disorders. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is associated with markers of accelerated aging. In this study, we determined brain predicted age difference (PAD) in individuals with GAD and healthy controls (HC) as well as group differences in PAD variability using voxel-wise structural MRI. The training dataset included 3511 controls, and the testing dataset included 1595 individuals with GAD and 4552 HC from the ENIGMA-Anxiety GAD Working Group. A convolutional neural network model using four input modalities per subject and a model ensemble approach was used to predict brain age. The PAD was then calculated by subtracting chronological age from the predicted age. Model performance was consistent with other image-based brain age prediction models with similar accuracy across the training set (mean absolute error (MAE) = 2.95 years) and HC in the testing set (MAE = 2.94). We found no evidence of accelerated brain aging in individuals with GAD compared to individuals without GAD, though we did find evidence for greater variation in PAD for individuals with GAD (Levene's test: W = 442.98, p < 0.001) and evidence for greater variability in PAD of those with GAD over 25 years of age. In several exploratory analyses, we found that symptom severity related significantly to PAD, even after controlling for medication and comorbid diagnoses, echoing previous brain age research. These findings underscore the need for consideration of heterogeneity and dimensionality of psychopathology when examining brain age predicted differences.

Authors 90

  1. Corey Richier corresponding

    University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA. coreyjr2@illinois.edu

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. coreyjr2@illinois.edu

  2. National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  3. National Institute of Mental Health · Erasmus University Rotterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  4. National Institute of Mental Health · Catholic University of America

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  5. National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  6. Leiden University

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden University, Institute of Education & Child Studies, Section Forensic Family & Youth Care, Leiden, The Netherlands

  7. Leiden University

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden University, Institute of Education & Child Studies, Section Forensic Family & Youth Care, Leiden, The Netherlands

  8. HMU Health and Medical University Erfurt

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, HMU Health and Medical University Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany

  9. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona · Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Hospital de Sant Pau · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental · Institut de Recerca Sant Pau

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain

    Sant Pau Mental Health Research Group, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain

  10. Institut de Recerca Sant Pau

    Affiliation as printed

    . Sant Pau Mental Health Research Group , Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU) , Barcelona , Spain

  11. Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Hospital de Sant Pau · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental · Institut de Recerca Sant Pau

    Affiliation as printed

    Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Sant Pau Mental Health Research Group, Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR SANT PAU), Barcelona, Spain

  12. Baylor College of Medicine

    Affiliation as printed

    Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

  13. Baylor College of Medicine

    Affiliation as printed

    Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

  14. Universidade Federal de São Paulo

    Affiliation as printed

    LiNC, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

  15. Universidade Federal de São Paulo

    Affiliation as printed

    LiNC, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

  16. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul · Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

    Affiliation as printed

    Section on Negative Affect and Social Processes, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

  17. Boys Town National Research Hospital

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, USA

  18. New York University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA

  19. Pennsylvania State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA

  20. The Ohio State University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

  21. University of Cincinnati

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

  22. University of Cincinnati

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

  23. Technische Universität Dresden

    Affiliation as printed

    Behavioral Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany

  24. University of Southern California

    Affiliation as printed

    Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA

  25. University of Southern California

    Affiliation as printed

    Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA

  26. Brigham Young University · Harvard University · Massachusetts General Hospital

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Brain Science & Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Psychology Department & Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA

  27. Massachusetts General Hospital

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

  28. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

    Affiliation as printed

    Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

  29. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

    Affiliation as printed

    Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

  30. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

    Affiliation as printed

    Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

  31. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

    Affiliation as printed

    Center Of Excellence On Mood Disorders, Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

  32. Hartford Hospital · Yale University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA

  33. Hartford Hospital · Yale University

    Affiliation as printed

    Anxiety Disorders Center, Institute of Living, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA

    Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

  34. University of Milan · Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy

    Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

  35. Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy

  36. University of Münster

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany

  37. University of Münster

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Medical Psychology and Systems Neuroscience, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany

  38. University of Pittsburgh

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

  39. University of Pittsburgh

    Affiliation as printed

    Department Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

  40. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul · Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

    Affiliation as printed

    Anxiety Disorder Program, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

  41. Vita-Salute San Raffaele University · IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele

    Affiliation as printed

    Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

  42. IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele

    Affiliation as printed

    Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

  43. Vita-Salute San Raffaele University · IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele

    Affiliation as printed

    Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

  44. Vita-Salute San Raffaele University · IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele · Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico San Raffaele

    Affiliation as printed

    Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Neurophysiology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy

    Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy

  45. University of Belgrade · Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Institute of Mental Health, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

  46. University of Belgrade · Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Mental Health, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

  47. National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  48. National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  49. National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  50. Johns Hopkins University · National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  51. Stanford Medicine · Stanford University

    Affiliation as printed

    Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

  52. National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  53. Universitätsmedizin Greifswald · German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases · Universität Greifswald

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

  54. Universitätsmedizin Greifswald · German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases · Universität Greifswald

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Site Rostock/Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

  55. Universitätsmedizin Greifswald · Universität Greifswald

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

  56. Universitätsmedizin Greifswald · Universität Greifswald

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

  57. Universitätsmedizin Greifswald · Universität Greifswald

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute for Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

  58. University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

  59. National Institutes of Health · National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Section on Neurobiology of Fear and Anxiety, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  60. Stony Brook University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA

  61. Stony Brook University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA

  62. Brighton and Sussex Medical School · University of Sussex

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK

  63. Brunel University of London

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK

  64. Centro Ricerche Enrico Fermi

    Affiliation as printed

    "Enrico Fermi" Research Center, Rome, Italy

  65. King's College London

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK

  66. Fondazione Santa Lucia · Sapienza University of Rome

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy

  67. The University of Texas at Austin

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, Austin, TX, USA

  68. Laureate Institute for Brain Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, USA

  69. University of California San Diego

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

  70. University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

  71. University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

  72. Vanderbilt University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

  73. University of Minnesota · University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

  74. University of Pennsylvania

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

  75. Washington University in St. Louis

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA

  76. Washington University in St. Louis

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA

  77. Washington University in St. Louis

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA

  78. Washington University in St. Louis

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA

  79. National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Machine Learning Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  80. National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Machine Learning Core, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  81. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin · Deutsches Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Berlin-Potsdam, Berlin, Germany

  82. Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, location VUMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

  83. University of Southern California

    Affiliation as printed

    Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA

  84. University of Cape Town

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

  85. Leiden University · Leiden University Medical Center

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands

  86. South African Medical Research Council · University of Cape Town

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    South African Medical Research Council Unit on Risk & Resilience in Mental Disorders, Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

  87. Leiden University · Leiden University Medical Center

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, The Netherlands

  88. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley · National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX, USA

  89. National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

  90. Virginia Commonwealth University · National Institute of Mental Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Emotion and Development Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

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