Biological Age Prediction of the Cerebellar Vermis in the Human Lifespan Publisher Pubmed



Ghaderi S ; Mohammadi S ; Sisakhti M ; Batouli SAH
Source: Cerebellum Published:2025

Abstract

The cerebellar vermis undergoes diverse structural changes with aging, yet region-specific aging patterns remain underexplored. Using Brain Structure Age (BSA), a deep learning biomarker from structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we aimed to: (1) evaluate effects of volume, BMI, and education on vermis aging; (2) examine sex differences; and (3) analyze aging trajectories across young (20–39), middle-aged (40–59), and older adults (≥ 60). A cross-sectional study of 245 healthy participants from the Iranian Brain Imaging Database utilized high-resolution 3D T1-weighted images from a 3T MRI with a 64-channel coil. We calculated BSA and cerebellar vermis subregional volumes (lobules I–V, VI–VII, VIII–X). ANCOVA models examined the impact of age group, sex, BMI, education, and vermis volume on biological age, with Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc comparisons. The results revealed robust age-dependent gradients, with posterior lobules VIII–X showing the steepest decline (adjusted R2 = 0.747–0.784, p < 0.001). Volumetric preservation was protective in the anterior and posterior superior subregions (lobules I–V: β = − 1.75, p = 0.003; VI–VII: β = − 3.78, p = 0.004, respectively), but not in VIII–X (p = 0.861). A marginal age group × sex interaction suggested accelerated male aging in older groups. BMI and education had no significant effects (p > 0.15). Models explained 74.7–79.1% of variance in biological age (R2 = 0.747–0.791). In conclusion, BSA identifies distinct aging patterns in the cerebellar vermis, with posterior subregions being more vulnerable, highlighting anterior–posterior gradients and minimal lifestyle influence. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.