TESPA1 and Mental deterioration: Given that TESPA1 SNP rs4374022 was associated with DNAm TL shortening and smaller hippocampus volumes and decreased mRNA expression in BRAINEAC data, further analysis revealed that DNAmTL shortening among AUD cases was also related to reduced volumes in hippocampus (Fig. 4A, B, β = 5.6 × 105, p < 0.05), a key brain region implicated in aging-associated cognitive decline [53, 54].