The brain gap in patients with COPD

Cognitive impairment is common in people with COPD, yet the impact of the disease on brain ageing remains insufficiently understood. Dries Cops, a third-year PhD researcher at Hasselt University, Belgium, investigated whether individuals with COPD exhibit accelerated brain ageing and how this relates to potentially modifiable lifestyle factors. The data were presented as a poster at ERS 2026 in Barcelona.

Using brain scans, the researchers estimated each participant’s brain age without knowledge of their actual age or sex. The difference between this estimated brain age and chronological age was then calculated as the “brain age gap”, allowing comparisons between individuals with COPD and healthy older adults. On average, participants with COPD had an estimated brain age approximately five years greater than their chronological age, whereas brain age and chronological age were comparable in the healthy control group.

The analysis also identified associations between brain ageing and lifestyle-related factors in COPD. Higher levels of physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness were negatively associated with the brain age gap, while greater smoking history was associated with accelerated brain ageing. These findings suggest that COPD may be accompanied by changes extending beyond the respiratory system and highlight the potential relevance of physical activity, fitness and smoking exposure to brain health in this population.