Lifestyle and psychosocial protective factors drive healthy aging and modulate inflammatory and metabolic pathways

Topic/Product:
aging, CNS Disease Panel 120
Disease Area:
Healthy Aging
Sample Type:
Plasma

Abstract

Lifestyle habits, cognitive reserve, and affective reserve (secure attachment, extraversion, psychological resilience) predict resilience in the oldest-old, though the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear. This study explored relationships between these protective factors, 120 + NULISA CNS blood biomarkers, and multidimensional health outcomes (global cognition, mental health, walking speed) in 401 dementia-free participants (age 83–87) from the InveCe.Ab study. Using sparse partial least squares (sPLS) regression, eight biomarkers were stably associated with the protective factors: HBA1, DDC, IFNG, IL15, GOT1, ACHE, SNAP25, and SNCB. Structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that the three protective factors exerted an independent and domain-specific effect on health outcomes. Moreover, lifestyle habits were associated with ACHE (β = 0.26), IL15 (β = 0.22), and GOT1 (β = 0.28); affective reserve showed inverse associations with IFNG (β = −0.13) and IL15 (β = −0.31), and GOT1 (β = −0.18). Regarding health domains, SNAP25 was inversely related to global cognition (β = −0.10), while SNCB was associated with global cognition (β = 0.16) and walking speed (β = 0.13). Notably, no significant mediated effects were found, suggesting that the clinical benefits observed were not directly driven by the aforementioned biological pathways. The present study paves the way for further investigations on the biological mechanisms underlying resilient aging, while further demonstrating the key protective role of individual habits and psychosocial characteristics during the life course.

Authors and Affiliations

Michele Rossi · Riccardo Rocco Ferrari · Ilaria Pola · Irene Brianzoni ·
Elisa Pellegrini · Annalisa Davin · Antonio Guaita · Henrik Zetterberg ·
Nicholas James Ashton · Andrea Lessa Benedet · Elena Rolandi
M. Rossi · R. R. Ferrari · I. Brianzoni · E. Pellegrini ·
A. Davin · A. Guaita · E. Rolandi (*)
Golgi Cenci Foundation, Corso San Martino 10,
20081 Abbiategrasso, Italy
e-mail: e.rolandi@golgicenci.it
I. Pola · H. Zetterberg · N. J. Ashton · A. L. Benedet
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute
of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska
Academy, University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
H. Zetterberg
Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska
University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
H. Zetterberg
Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute
of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
H. Zetterberg
UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
H. Zetterberg
Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center,
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public
Health, Madison, WI, USA
H. Zetterberg
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public
Health, Madison, WI, USA
N. J. Ashton
Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and University of Arizona,
Phoenix, AZ, USA

Steve Williams, MD, PhD

CSO

Dr. Willams serves as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer. He was previously Chief Medical Officer at Standard Biotools and at SomaLogic where he pioneered the discipline for discovery and validation of predictive, diagnostic and prognostic models using machine-learning applied to large-plex proteomics. 20 such tests were used for drug characterization, safety and efficacy when incorporated in clinical drug trials at Pharma/Biotech and 17 different multivariate tests were validated and translated into regulated healthcare uses. Prior to SomaLogic, Dr. Williams was at Pfizer in the UK and the USA as a clinical triallist in Translational Medicine, and subsequently as VP, Global Clinical Technology. He sat on the National Advisory Council for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the Executive Committee for the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium, and worked with FDA and PhRMA on developing evidentiary standards for biomarker qualification. Dr. William’s medical training was in London, at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, followed by a PhD in medicine/physiology at the same institution and training in Radiology at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Steve is co-inventor on 26 proteomics patents and author/coauthor on multiple foundational proteomics manuscripts.

Justin McAnear

CFO

Mr. McAnear serves as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. He brings over 25 years of operational and financial leadership experience across various sectors and was instrumental in taking 10x Genomics public in 2019, serving as its CFO for over five years. Mr. McAnear served for over 3 years as Tesla’s VP of Worldwide Finance and Operations, supporting landmark initiatives such as the Model X and Model 3 launches and Solar City acquisition.  He also held various roles at Apple and J&J earlier in his career and served as a naval officer and aviator for over 9 years.