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Capogna E, Sørensen Ø, Watne LO, Roe J, Strømstad M, Idland AV, Halaas NB, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Walhovd KB, Fjell AM, Vidal-Piñeiro D. Subtypes of brain change in aging and their associations with cognition and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.04.583291. [PMID: 38496633 PMCID: PMC10942348 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.04.583291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Structural brain changes underly cognitive changes in older age and contribute to inter-individual variability in cognition. Here, we assessed how changes in cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volume, are related to cognitive change in cognitively unimpaired older adults using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data-driven clustering. Specifically, we tested (1) which brain structural changes over time predict cognitive change in older age (2) whether these are associated with core cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers phosphorylated tau (p-tau) and amyloid-β (Aβ42), and (3) the degree of overlap between clusters derived from different structural features. In total 1899 cognitively healthy older adults (50 - 93 years) were followed up to 16 years with neuropsychological and structural MRI assessments, a subsample of which (n = 612) had CSF p-tau and Aβ42 measurements. We applied Monte-Carlo Reference-based Consensus clustering to identify subgroups of older adults based on structural brain change patterns over time. Four clusters for each brain feature were identified, representing the degree of longitudinal brain decline. Each brain feature provided a unique contribution to brain aging as clusters were largely independent across modalities. Cognitive change and baseline cognition were best predicted by cortical area change, whereas higher levels of p-tau and Aβ42 were associated with changes in subcortical volume. These results provide insights into the link between changes in brain morphology and cognition, which may translate to a better understanding of different aging trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elettra Capogna
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Øystein Sørensen
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Leiv Otto Watne
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Campus Ahus, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - James Roe
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Marie Strømstad
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ane Victoria Idland
- Oslo Delirium Research Group, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nathalie Bodd Halaas
- Oslo Delirium Research Group, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Campus UllevÅl, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kaj Blennow
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Paris Brain Institute, ICM, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- Neurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, and Department of Neurology, Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, University of Science and Technology of China and First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei, P.R. China
| | - Henrik Zetterberg
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, the Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Mölndal, Sweden
- Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, Sweden
- Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
- UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL, London, UK
- Hong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hong Kong, China
- Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Kristine Beate Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
- Computational Radiology and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders Martin Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
- Computational Radiology and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Didac Vidal-Piñeiro
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
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Köhncke Y, Kühn S, Düzel S, Sander MC, Brandmaier AM, Lindenberger U. Grey-matter structure in cortical and limbic regions correlates with general cognitive ability in old age. AGING BRAIN 2023; 5:100103. [PMID: 38186748 PMCID: PMC10770753 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbas.2023.100103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
According to the maintenance hypothesis (Nyberg et al., 2012), structural integrity of the brain's grey matter helps to preserve cognitive functioning into old age. A corollary of this hypothesis that can be tested in cross-sectional data is that grey-matter structural integrity and general cognitive ability are positively associated in old age. Building on Köhncke et al. (2021), who found that region-specific latent factors of grey-matter integrity are positively associated with episodic memory ability among older adults, we examine associations between general factors of grey-matter integrity and a general factor of cognitive ability in a cross-sectional sample of 1466 participants aged 60-88 years, 319 of whom contributed imaging data. Indicator variables based on T1-weighted images (voxel-based morphometry, VBM), magnetization-transfer imaging (MT), and diffusion tensor imaging-derived mean diffusivity (MD) had sufficient portions of variance in common to establish latent factors of grey-matter structure for a comprehensive set of regions of interest (ROI). Individual differences in grey-matter factors were positively correlated across neocortical and limbic areas, allowing for the definition of second-order, general factors for neocortical and limbic ROI, respectively. Both general grey-matter factors were positively correlated with general cognitive ability. For the basal ganglia, the three modality-specific indicators showed heterogenous loading patterns, and no reliable associations of the general grey-matter factor to general cognitive ability were found. To provide more direct tests of the maintenance hypothesis, we recommend applying the present structural modeling approach to longitudinal data, thereby enhancing the physiological validity of latent constructs of brain structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ylva Köhncke
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simone Kühn
- Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
| | - Sandra Düzel
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Myriam C. Sander
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas M. Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK, & Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, London, UK, & Berlin, Germany
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Fjell AM, Sørensen Ø, Wang Y, Amlien IK, Baaré WFC, Bartrés-Faz D, Bertram L, Boraxbekk CJ, Brandmaier AM, Demuth I, Drevon CA, Ebmeier KP, Ghisletta P, Kievit R, Kühn S, Madsen KS, Mowinckel AM, Nyberg L, Sexton CE, Solé-Padullés C, Vidal-Piñeiro D, Wagner G, Watne LO, Walhovd KB. No phenotypic or genotypic evidence for a link between sleep duration and brain atrophy. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:2008-2022. [PMID: 37798367 PMCID: PMC10663160 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01707-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Short sleep is held to cause poorer brain health, but is short sleep associated with higher rates of brain structural decline? Analysing 8,153 longitudinal MRIs from 3,893 healthy adults, we found no evidence for an association between sleep duration and brain atrophy. In contrast, cross-sectional analyses (51,295 observations) showed inverse U-shaped relationships, where a duration of 6.5 (95% confidence interval, (5.7, 7.3)) hours was associated with the thickest cortex and largest volumes relative to intracranial volume. This fits converging evidence from research on mortality, health and cognition that points to roughly seven hours being associated with good health. Genome-wide association analyses suggested that genes associated with longer sleep for below-average sleepers were linked to shorter sleep for above-average sleepers. Mendelian randomization did not yield evidence for causal impacts of sleep on brain structure. The combined results challenge the notion that habitual short sleep causes brain atrophy, suggesting that normal brains promote adequate sleep duration-which is shorter than current recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders M Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Øystein Sørensen
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Yunpeng Wang
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Inge K Amlien
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - William F C Baaré
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital-Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - David Bartrés-Faz
- Departament de Medicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pii Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lars Bertram
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Lübeck Interdisciplinary Platform for Genome Analytics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Carl-Johan Boraxbekk
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital-Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Diagnostic Radiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andreas M Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ilja Demuth
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (including Division of Lipid Metabolism), Biology of Aging Working Group, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian A Drevon
- Vitas AS, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Paolo Ghisletta
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rogier Kievit
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Simone Kühn
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kathrine Skak Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital-Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Radiography, Department of Technology, University College Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Athanasia M Mowinckel
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lars Nyberg
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Claire E Sexton
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Global Brain Health Institute, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Alzheimer's Association, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Cristina Solé-Padullés
- Departament de Medicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pii Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Didac Vidal-Piñeiro
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Gerd Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Leiv Otto Watne
- Oslo Delirium Research Group, Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Kristine B Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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Fjell AM, Sørensen Ø, Wang Y, Amlien IK, Baaré WFC, Bartrés-Faz D, Boraxbekk CJ, Brandmaier AM, Demuth I, Drevon CA, Ebmeier KP, Ghisletta P, Kievit R, Kühn S, Madsen KS, Nyberg L, Solé-Padullés C, Vidal-Piñeiro D, Wagner G, Watne LO, Walhovd KB. Is Short Sleep Bad for the Brain? Brain Structure and Cognitive Function in Short Sleepers. J Neurosci 2023; 43:5241-5250. [PMID: 37365003 PMCID: PMC10342221 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2330-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Many sleep less than recommended without experiencing daytime sleepiness. According to prevailing views, short sleep increases risk of lower brain health and cognitive function. Chronic mild sleep deprivation could cause undetected sleep debt, negatively affecting cognitive function and brain health. However, it is possible that some have less sleep need and are more resistant to negative effects of sleep loss. We investigated this using a cross-sectional and longitudinal sample of 47,029 participants of both sexes (20-89 years) from the Lifebrain consortium, Human Connectome project (HCP) and UK Biobank (UKB), with measures of self-reported sleep, including 51,295 MRIs of the brain and cognitive tests. A total of 740 participants who reported to sleep <6 h did not experience daytime sleepiness or sleep problems/disturbances interfering with falling or staying asleep. These short sleepers showed significantly larger regional brain volumes than both short sleepers with daytime sleepiness and sleep problems (n = 1742) and participants sleeping the recommended 7-8 h (n = 3886). However, both groups of short sleepers showed slightly lower general cognitive function (GCA), 0.16 and 0.19 SDs, respectively. Analyses using accelerometer-estimated sleep duration confirmed the findings, and the associations remained after controlling for body mass index, depression symptoms, income, and education. The results suggest that some people can cope with less sleep without obvious negative associations with brain morphometry and that sleepiness and sleep problems may be more related to brain structural differences than duration. However, the slightly lower performance on tests of general cognitive abilities warrants closer examination in natural settings.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Short habitual sleep is prevalent, with unknown consequences for brain health and cognitive performance. Here, we show that daytime sleepiness and sleep problems are more strongly related to regional brain volumes than sleep duration. However, participants sleeping ≤6 h had slightly lower scores on tests of general cognitive function (GCA). This indicates that sleep need is individual and that sleep duration per se is very weakly if at all related brain health, while daytime sleepiness and sleep problems may show somewhat stronger associations. The association between habitual short sleep and lower scores on tests of general cognitive abilities must be further scrutinized in natural settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders M Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
- Computational Radiology and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Øystein Sørensen
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Yunpeng Wang
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Inge K Amlien
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - William F C Baaré
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital-Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - David Bartrés-Faz
- Departament de Medicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, and Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carl-Johan Boraxbekk
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital-Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, 907 36 Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Diagnostic Radiology, Umeå University, 907 36 Umeå, Sweden
- Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen (ISMC), Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, 2400 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2020 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andreas M Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ilja Demuth
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (including Division of Lipid Metabolism), Biology of Aging working group, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10178 Berlin, Germany
- BCRT - Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian A Drevon
- Vitas AS, The Science Park, 0349 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Klaus P Ebmeier
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
| | - Paolo Ghisletta
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
- UniDistance Suisse, 3900 Brig, Switzerland
- Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Rogier Kievit
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Simone Kühn
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kathrine Skak Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital-Amager and Hvidovre, 2650 Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Radiography, Department of Technology, University College Copenhagen, 1799 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Nyberg
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, 907 36 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Cristina Solé-Padullés
- Departament de Medicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, and Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Didac Vidal-Piñeiro
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
| | - Gerd Wagner
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Leiv Otto Watne
- Oslo Delirium Research Group, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Campus Ahus, University of Oslo, 1478, Lørenskog, Norway
| | - Kristine B Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, 0373 Oslo, Norway
- Computational Radiology and Artificial Intelligence, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
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5
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Lövdén M, Pagin A, Bartrés-Faz D, Boraxbekk CJ, Brandmaier AM, Demnitz N, Drevon CA, Ebmeier KP, Fjell AM, Ghisletta P, Gorbach T, Lindenberger U, Plachti A, Walhovd KB, Nyberg L. No moderating influence of education on the association between changes in hippocampus volume and memory performance in aging. AGING BRAIN 2023; 4:100082. [PMID: 37457634 PMCID: PMC10338350 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbas.2023.100082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Contemporary accounts of factors that may modify the risk for age-related neurocognitive disorders highlight education and its contribution to a cognitive reserve. By this view, individuals with higher educational attainment should show weaker associations between changes in brain and cognition than individuals with lower educational attainment. We tested this prediction in longitudinal data on hippocampus volume and episodic memory from 708 middle-aged and older individuals using local structural equation modeling. This technique does not require categorization of years of education and does not constrain the shape of relationships, thereby maximizing the chances of revealing an effect of education on the hippocampus-memory association. The results showed that the data were plausible under the assumption that there was no influence of education on the association between change in episodic memory and change in hippocampus volume. Restricting the sample to individuals with elevated genetic risk for dementia (APOE ε4 carriers) did not change these results. We conclude that the influence of education on changes in episodic memory and hippocampus volume is inconsistent with predictions by the cognitive reserve theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Lövdén
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Amos Pagin
- Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - David Bartrés-Faz
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carl-Johan Boraxbekk
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital – Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute of Sports Medicine Copenhagen (ISMC) and Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andreas M. Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Naiara Demnitz
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital – Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian A. Drevon
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo & Vitas AS, Oslo Science Park, Norway
| | - Klaus P. Ebmeier
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Anders M. Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, POB 1094, 0317 Oslo, Norway
- ComputationalRadiology and Artificial Intelligence, Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Norway
| | - Paolo Ghisletta
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
- Faculty of Psychology, UniDistance Suisse, Brig, Switzerland
| | - Tetiana Gorbach
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Plachti
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR), Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital – Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristine B. Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, POB 1094, 0317 Oslo, Norway
- ComputationalRadiology and Artificial Intelligence, Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Norway
| | - Lars Nyberg
- Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging (UFBI), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
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6
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Sauty B, Durrleman S. Impact of sex and APOE- ε4 genotype on patterns of regional brain atrophy in Alzheimer's disease and healthy aging. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1161527. [PMID: 37333001 PMCID: PMC10272760 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1161527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a heterogeneous disease that disproportionately affects women and people with the APOE-ε4 susceptibility gene. We aim to describe the not-well-understood influence of both risk factors on the dynamics of brain atrophy in AD and healthy aging. Regional cortical thinning and brain atrophy were modeled over time using non-linear mixed-effect models and the FreeSurfer software with t1-MRI scans from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (N = 1,502 subjects, 6,728 images in total). Covariance analysis was used to disentangle the effect of sex and APOE genotype on the regional onset age and pace of atrophy, while correcting for educational level. A map of the regions mostly affected by neurodegeneration is provided. Results were confirmed on gray matter density data from the SPM software. Women experience faster atrophic rates in the temporal, frontal, parietal lobes and limbic system and earlier onset in the amygdalas, but slightly later onset in the postcentral and cingulate gyri as well as all regions of the basal ganglia and thalamus. APOE-ε4 genotypes leads to earlier and faster atrophy in the temporal, frontal, parietal lobes, and limbic system in AD patients, but not in healthy patients. Higher education was found to slightly delay atrophy in healthy patients, but not for AD patients. A cohort of amyloid positive patients with MCI showed a similar impact of sex as in the healthy cohort, while APOE-ε4 showed similar associations as in the AD cohort. Female sex is as strong a risk factor for AD as APOE-ε4 genotype regarding neurodegeneration. Women experience a sharper atrophy in the later stages of the disease, although not a significantly earlier onset. These findings may have important implications for the development of targeted intervention.
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7
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Huang Y, Shan Y, Qin W, Zhao G. Apolipoprotein E ε4 accelerates the longitudinal cerebral atrophy in open access series of imaging studies-3 elders without dementia at enrollment. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1158579. [PMID: 37323144 PMCID: PMC10265507 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1158579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Early studies have reported that APOE is strongly associated with brain atrophy and cognitive decline among healthy elders and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, previous research has not directly outlined the modulation of APOE on the trajectory of cerebral atrophy with aging during the conversion from cognitive normal (CN) to dementia (CN2D). Methods This study tried to elucidate this issue from a voxel-wise whole-brain perspective based on 416 qualified participants from a longitudinal OASIS-3 neuroimaging cohort. A voxel-wise linear mixed-effects model was applied for detecting cerebrum regions whose nonlinear atrophic trajectories were driven by AD conversion and to elucidate the effect of APOE variants on the cerebral atrophic trajectories during the process. Results We found that CN2D participants had faster quadratically accelerated atrophy in bilateral hippocampi than persistent CN. Moreover, APOE ε4 carriers had faster-accelerated atrophy in the left hippocampus than ε4 noncarriers in both CN2D and persistent CN, and CN2D ε4 carriers an noncarriers presented a faster atrophic speed than CN ε4 carriers. These findings could be replicated in a sub-sample with a tough match in demographic information. Discussion Our findings filled the gap that APOE ε4 accelerates hippocampal atrophy and the conversion from normal cognition to dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuda Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yongzhi Shan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Qin
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Guoguang Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Clinical Research Center for Epilepsy Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Municipal Geriatric Medical Research Center, Beijing, China
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Solé-Padullés C, Macià D, Andersson M, Stiernstedt M, Pudas S, Düzel S, Zsoldos E, Ebmeier KP, Binnewies J, Drevon CA, Brandmaier AM, Mowinckel AM, Fjell AM, Madsen KS, Baaré WFC, Lindenberger U, Nyberg L, Walhovd KB, Bartrés-Faz D. No Association Between Loneliness, Episodic Memory and Hippocampal Volume Change in Young and Healthy Older Adults: A Longitudinal European Multicenter Study. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:795764. [PMID: 35283753 PMCID: PMC8905540 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.795764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Loneliness is most prevalent during adolescence and late life and has been associated with mental health disorders as well as with cognitive decline during aging. Associations between longitudinal measures of loneliness and verbal episodic memory and brain structure should thus be investigated. Methods We sought to determine associations between loneliness and verbal episodic memory as well as loneliness and hippocampal volume trajectories across three longitudinal cohorts within the Lifebrain Consortium, including children, adolescents (N = 69, age range 10-15 at baseline examination) and older adults (N = 1468 over 60). We also explored putative loneliness correlates of cortical thinning across the entire cortical mantle. Results Loneliness was associated with worsening of verbal episodic memory in one cohort of older adults. Specifically, reporting medium to high levels of loneliness over time was related to significantly increased memory loss at follow-up examinations. The significance of the loneliness-memory change association was lost when eight participants were excluded after having developed dementia in any of the subsequent follow-up assessments. No significant structural brain correlates of loneliness were found, neither hippocampal volume change nor cortical thinning. Conclusion In the present longitudinal European multicenter study, the association between loneliness and episodic memory was mainly driven by individuals exhibiting progressive cognitive decline, which reinforces previous findings associating loneliness with cognitive impairment and dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Solé-Padullés
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,*Correspondence: Cristina Solé-Padullés,
| | - Dídac Macià
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic – University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Micael Andersson
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden,Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Mikael Stiernstedt
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden,Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Sara Pudas
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden,Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Sandra Düzel
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Enikő Zsoldos
- Department of Psychiatry, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Klaus P. Ebmeier
- Department of Psychiatry, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Binnewies
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Christian A. Drevon
- Vitas Ltd., Oslo, Norway,Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Andreas M. Brandmaier
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Athanasia M. Mowinckel
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders M. Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kathrine Skak Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark,Radiography, Department of Technology, University College Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - William F. C. Baaré
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulman Lindenberger
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Nyberg
- Department of Integrative Medical Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden,Umeå Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden,Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Kristine B. Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - David Bartrés-Faz
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
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