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Schaefer JK, Engert V, Valk SL, Singer T, Puhlmann LM. Mapping pathways to neuronal atrophy in healthy, mid-aged adults: From chronic stress to systemic inflammation to neurodegeneration? Brain Behav Immun Health 2024; 38:100781. [PMID: 38725445 PMCID: PMC11081785 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence implicates systemic inflammation in the loss of structural brain integrity in natural ageing and disorder development. Chronic stress and glucocorticoid exposure can potentiate inflammatory processes and may also be linked to neuronal atrophy, particularly in the hippocampus and the human neocortex. To improve understanding of emerging maladaptive interactions between stress and inflammation, this study examined evidence for glucocorticoid- and inflammation-mediated neurodegeneration in healthy mid-aged adults. N = 169 healthy adults (mean age = 39.4, 64.5% female) were sampled from the general population in the context of the ReSource Project. Stress, inflammation and neuronal atrophy were quantified using physiological indices of chronic stress (hair cortisol (HCC) and cortisone (HEC) concentration), systemic inflammation (interleukin-6 (IL-6), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP)), the systemic inflammation index (SII), hippocampal volume (HCV) and cortical thickness (CT) in regions of interest. Structural equation models were used to examine evidence for pathways from stress and inflammation to neuronal atrophy. Model fit indices indicated good representation of stress, inflammation, and neurological data through the constructed models (CT model: robust RMSEA = 0.041, robust χ2 = 910.90; HCV model: robust RMSEA <0.001, robust χ2 = 40.95). Among inflammatory indices, only the SII was positively associated with hair cortisol as one indicator of chronic stress (β = 0.18, p < 0.05). Direct and indirect pathways from chronic stress and systemic inflammation to cortical thickness or hippocampal volume were non-significant. In exploratory analysis, the SII was inversely related to mean cortical thickness. Our results emphasize the importance of considering the multidimensionality of systemic inflammation and chronic stress, with various indicators that may represent different aspects of the systemic reaction. We conclude that inflammation and glucocorticoid-mediated neurodegeneration indicated by IL-6 and hs-CRP and HCC and HEC may only emerge during advanced ageing and disorder processes, still the SII could be a promising candidate for detecting associations between inflammation and neurodegeneration in younger and healthy samples. Future work should examine these pathways in prospective longitudinal designs, for which the present investigation serves as a baseline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia K. Schaefer
- Cognitive Neuropsychology, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany
| | - Veronika Engert
- Research Group “Social Stress and Family Health”, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Psychosocial Medicine, Psychotherapy and Psychooncology, Jena University Clinic, Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena, Germany
| | - Sofie L. Valk
- Otto Hahn Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, FZ Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Tania Singer
- Social Neuroscience Lab, Max Planck Society, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lara M.C. Puhlmann
- Research Group “Social Stress and Family Health”, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research, Mainz, Germany
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Shen C, Liu C, Qiu A. Metabolism-related brain morphology accelerates aging and predicts neurodegenerative diseases and stroke: a UK Biobank study. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:233. [PMID: 37385998 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02515-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by a constellation of metabolic risk factors, including obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, hypertension, and hyperglycemia, and is associated with stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. This study capitalized on brain structural images and clinical data from the UK Biobank and explored the associations of brain morphology with MetS and brain aging due to MetS. Cortical surface area, thickness, and subcortical volumes were assessed using FreeSurfer. Linear regression was used to examine associations of brain morphology with five MetS components and the MetS severity in a metabolic aging group (N = 23,676, age 62.8 ± 7.5 years). Partial least squares (PLS) were employed to predict brain age using MetS-associated brain morphology. The five MetS components and MetS severity were associated with increased cortical surface area and decreased thickness, particularly in the frontal, temporal, and sensorimotor cortex, and reduced volumes in the basal ganglia. Obesity best explained the variation of brain morphology. Moreover, participants with the most severe MetS had brain age 1-year older than those without MetS. Brain age in patients with stroke (N = 1042), dementia (N = 83), Parkinson's (N = 107), and multiple sclerosis (N = 235) was greater than that in the metabolic aging group. The obesity-related brain morphology had the leading discriminative power. Therefore, the MetS-related brain morphological model can be used for risk assessment of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. Our findings suggested that prioritizing adjusting obesity among the five metabolic components may be more helpful for improving brain health in aging populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenye Shen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chaoqiang Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anqi Qiu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- The N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- NUS (Suzhou) Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Suzhou, China.
- Institute of Data Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung hom, Hong Kong.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Giannos P, Prokopidis K, Forbes SC, Celoch K, Candow DG, Tartar JL. Gene Expression Changes of Murine Cortex Homeostasis in Response to Sleep Deprivation Hint Dysregulated Aging-like Transcriptional Responses. Brain Sci 2022; 12:825. [PMID: 35884632 PMCID: PMC9313387 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12070825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep deprivation leads to the deterioration in the physiological functioning of the brain, cognitive decline, and many neurodegenerative diseases, all of which progress with advancing age. Sleep insufficiency and impairments in cognitive function are characterized by progressive neuronal losses in the cerebral cortex. In this study, we analyze gene expression profiles following sleep-deprived murine models and circadian matched controls to identify genes that might underlie cortical homeostasis in response to sleep deprivation. Screening of the literature resulted in three murine (Mus musculus) gene expression datasets (GSE6514, GSE78215, and GSE33491) that included cortical tissue biopsies from mice that are sleep deprived for 6 h (n = 15) and from circadian controls that are left undisturbed (n = 15). Cortical differentially expressed genes are used to construct a network of encoded proteins that are ranked based on their interactome according to 11 topological algorithms. The analysis revealed three genes-NFKBIA, EZR, and SGK1-which exhibited the highest multi-algorithmic topological significance. These genes are strong markers of increased brain inflammation, cytoskeletal aberrations, and glucocorticoid resistance, changes that imply aging-like transcriptional responses during sleep deprivation in the murine cortex. Their potential role as candidate markers of local homeostatic response to sleep loss in the murine cortex warrants further experimental validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Giannos
- Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- Society of Meta-Research and Biomedical Innovation, London W12 0BZ, UK;
| | - Konstantinos Prokopidis
- Society of Meta-Research and Biomedical Innovation, London W12 0BZ, UK;
- Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
| | - Scott C. Forbes
- Department of Physical Education Studies, Faculty of Education, Brandon University, Brandon, MB R7A 6A9, Canada;
| | - Kamil Celoch
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA; (K.C.); (J.L.T.)
| | - Darren G. Candow
- Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada;
| | - Jaime L. Tartar
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA; (K.C.); (J.L.T.)
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Chen Z, Sui G, Wang L, Yang C, Wang F. High-fat diet induced hippocampal CREB dysfunction, cognitive impairment and depression-like behaviors via downregulation of interleukin-2 in the mice. Metab Brain Dis 2022; 37:1163-1174. [PMID: 35290547 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-022-00938-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inhibition of hippocampal CREB signaling contributed to obesity-induced cognitive impairment. But, the potential mechanism by which obesity inhibits hippocampal CREB signaling is not clear. The aim of this study was to explore whether interleukin-2 played a intermediary role in this pathogenic effect in a high-fat diet model. METHODS C57BL/6J interleukin-2+/+ wild-type and interleukin-2-/- knockout mice were fed a standard diet or high-fat diet for 12 weeks. After that, cognitive function was assessed by Morris water maze and Y maze. Depression-like behaviors were determined using sucrose preference test and tail suspension test. Expression of p-CREB and interleukin-2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and hippocampus was measured using western blotting and qRT-PCR. RESULTS In the interleukin-2+/+ wild-type mice, a high-fat diet inhibited the expression of interleukin-2 and p-CREB both in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and hippocampus. The high-fat diet also caused cognitive impairment and depression-like behaviors in these mice. In the interleukin-2-/- knockout mice, there was no significant depression of interleukin-2. A high-fat diet can only aggravate the p-CREB signaling dysfunction in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells, but not in the hippocampus. Meanwhile, the high-fat diet can not cause the cognitive impairment and depression-like behaviors in these mice. CONCLUSIONS A high-fat diet induced hippocampal CREB dysfunction, cognitive impairment and depression-like behaviors partly through downregulation of interleukin-2 in the mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Chen
- Department of Psychology, Tianjin Anding Hospital, 300074, Tianjin, China.
| | - Guanghong Sui
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology, Tianjin Anding Hospital, 300074, Tianjin, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Department of Geriatrics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Geriatrics Institute, 300052, Tianjin, China
| | - Caixia Yang
- Department of Rehabilitation, Tianjin Anding Hospital, 300074, Tianjin, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Psychology, Tianjin Anding Hospital, 300074, Tianjin, China.
- Department of Geriatrics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin Geriatrics Institute, 300052, Tianjin, China.
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Increased peripheral inflammation in schizophrenia is associated with worse cognitive performance and related cortical thickness reductions. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2021; 271:595-607. [PMID: 33760971 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-021-01237-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
While the biological substrates of brain and behavioural changes in persons with schizophrenia remain unclear, increasing evidence implicates that inflammation is involved. In schizophrenia, including first-episode psychosis and anti-psychotic naïve patients, there are numerous reports of increased peripheral inflammation, cognitive deficits and neuropathologies such as cortical thinning. Research defining the relationship between inflammation and schizophrenia symptomatology and neuropathology is needed. Therefore, we analysed the level of C-reactive protein (CRP), a peripheral inflammation marker, and its relationship with cognitive functioning in a cohort of 644 controls and 499 schizophrenia patients. In a subset of individuals who underwent MRI scanning (99 controls and 194 schizophrenia cases), we tested if serum CRP was associated with cortical thickness. CRP was significantly increased in schizophrenia patients compared to controls, co-varying for age, sex, overweight/obesity and diabetes (p < 0.006E-10). In schizophrenia, increased CRP was mildly associated with worse performance in attention, controlling for age, sex and education (R =- 0.15, p = 0.001). Further, increased CRP was associated with reduced cortical thickness in three regions related to attention: the caudal middle frontal, the pars opercularis and the posterior cingulate cortices, which remained significant after controlling for multiple comparisons (all p < 0.05). Together, these findings indicate that increased peripheral inflammation is associated with deficits in cognitive function and brain structure in schizophrenia, especially reduced attention and reduced cortical thickness in associated brain regions. Using CRP as a biomarker of peripheral inflammation in persons with schizophrenia may help to identify vulnerable patients and those that may benefit from adjunctive anti-inflammatory treatments.
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An I, Bang M, Lee SH. The interaction effect of early trauma exposure and a diagnosis of panic disorder on cortical thickness. J Affect Disord 2021; 286:259-266. [PMID: 33752040 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early trauma (ET) is a risk factor for adult psychiatric disorders. ET exposure is known to cause structural brain alterations, particularly in the fronto-temporo-limbic circuitry. ET-related effects on brain development may differ based on individual characteristics and cause different psychiatric outcomes. We investigated the interaction effect of ET exposure and panic disorder (PD) on cortical thickness. METHODS Sixty-six participants with PD and 66 healthy controls were enrolled. High-resolution T1-weighted images were acquired, and a whole-brain vertex-based analysis was performed to estimate cortical thickness. The Early Trauma Inventory Self Report-Short Form, Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory-Revised, Panic Disorder Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory were administered. RESULTS There was a significant interaction between ET exposure and PD on the mean cortical thickness in the bilateral insula and right pars triangularis. An exploratory correlational analysis revealed a positive correlation between the mean cortical thickness in the left insula and severity of anxiety sensitivity to cardiovascular symptoms in participants with PD. LIMITATIONS Our findings may be affected by recall bias because this study is limited by its retrospective cross-sectional design. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that ET exposure may affect brain structures differently based on a diagnosis of PD. Furthermore, individual variations in brain alterations after ET may confer trait vulnerability that triggers the development of PD. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms underlying ET and psychiatric outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iseul An
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, South Korea; Clinical Counseling Psychology Graduate School, CHA University, Seongnam, South Korea
| | - Minji Bang
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, South Korea.
| | - Sang-Hyuk Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, South Korea; Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, South Korea.
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7
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The association of peripheral immune markers with brain cortical thickness and surface area in South African people living with HIV. J Neurovirol 2020; 26:908-919. [PMID: 32661895 DOI: 10.1007/s13365-020-00873-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A spectrum of cognitive impairments known as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are consequences of the effects of HIV-1 within the central nervous system. Regardless of treatment status, an aberrant chronic neuro-immune regulation is a crucial contributor to the development of HAND. However, the extent to which inflammation affects brain structures critical for cognitive status remains unclear. The present study aimed to determine associations of peripheral immune markers with cortical thickness and surface area. Participants included 65 treatment-naïve HIV-positive individuals and 26 HIV-negative controls. Thickness and surface area of all cortical regions were derived using automated parcellation of T1-weighted images acquired at 3 T. Peripheral immune markers included C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), thymidine phosphorylase (TYMP), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Associations of these markers with thickness and surface area of cortical regions were evaluated. A mediation analysis examined whether associations of inflammatory markers with cognitive functioning were mediated by brain cortical thickness and surface area. After controlling for multiple comparisons, higher NGAL was associated with reduced thickness of the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex in HIV-positive participants. The association of NGAL with worse motor function was mediated by cortical thickness of the bilateral orbitofrontal region. Taken together, this study suggests that NGAL plays a potential role in the neuropathophysiology of neurocognitive impairments of HIV.
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Cárdenas D, Madinabeitia I, Vera J, de Teresa C, Alarcón F, Jiménez R, Catena A. Better brain connectivity is associated with higher total fat mass and lower visceral adipose tissue in military pilots. Sci Rep 2020; 10:610. [PMID: 31953480 PMCID: PMC6969099 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-57345-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A lack of exercise leads to being overweight or obese affecting regional brain structure and functional connectivity associated with impaired cognitive function and dementia. In recent decades, several studies of healthy individuals suggest that adiposity may also produce negative independent effects on the brain. We aimed to investigate the relationship between body composition – total fat mass (TFM) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) – with white matter (WM) integrity using a whole-brain approach in military pilots. Twenty-three military helicopter pilots (Mage = 36.79; SD = 8.00; MBMI = 25.48; SD = 2.49) took part in the study. Brain volumes were studied using diffusion tensor imaging technique by means of a 3T Magnetom Tim Trio. Measurements of body mass index (BMI), TFM and VAT were obtained using Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). The results showed that, on one hand, higher TFM was associated with higher white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) and, on the other hand, higher VAT was associated with lower FA. Data showed that TFM and VAT are the critical factors underlying WM integrity in combat helicopter pilots. The authors suggest that fat presence enhance brain connectivity while there is no excess, specifically in VAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Cárdenas
- Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain. .,Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Granada, Spain.
| | - Iker Madinabeitia
- Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Granada, Spain
| | - Jesús Vera
- Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Granada, Spain.,Department of Optics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Carlos de Teresa
- Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Granada, Spain.,Andalusian Centre of Sports Medicine, Consejería de Turismo y Deporte, Junta de Andalucía, Granada, Spain
| | - Francisco Alarcón
- Department of Didactic General and Specific Training, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Raimundo Jiménez
- Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), Granada, Spain.,Department of Optics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Andrés Catena
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Mind, Brain and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Corlier F, Hafzalla G, Faskowitz J, Kuller LH, Becker JT, Lopez OL, Thompson PM, Braskie MN. Systemic inflammation as a predictor of brain aging: Contributions of physical activity, metabolic risk, and genetic risk. Neuroimage 2018; 172:118-129. [PMID: 29357308 PMCID: PMC5954991 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2017] [Revised: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory processes may contribute to risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-related brain degeneration. Metabolic and genetic risk factors, and physical activity may, in turn, influence these inflammatory processes. Some of these risk factors are modifiable, and interact with each other. Understanding how these processes together relate to brain aging will help to inform future interventions to treat or prevent cognitive decline. We used brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan 335 older adult humans (mean age 77.3 ± 3.4 years) who remained non-demented for the duration of the 9-year longitudinal study. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) in a subset of 226 adults to evaluate whether measures of baseline peripheral inflammation (serum C-reactive protein levels; CRP), mediated the baseline contributions of genetic and metabolic risk, and physical activity, to regional cortical thickness in AD-relevant brain regions at study year 9. We found that both baseline metabolic risk and AD risk variant apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE4), modulated baseline serum CRP. Higher baseline CRP levels, in turn, predicted thinner regional cortex at year 9, and mediated an effect between higher metabolic risk and thinner cortex in those regions. A higher polygenic risk score composed of variants in immune-associated AD risk genes (other than APOE) was associated with thinner regional cortex. However, CRP levels did not mediate this effect, suggesting that other mechanisms may be responsible for the elevated AD risk. We found interactions between genetic and environmental factors and structural brain health. Our findings support the role of metabolic risk and peripheral inflammation in age-related brain decline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Corlier
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, USA
| | - George Hafzalla
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, USA
| | - Joshua Faskowitz
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, USA
| | - Lewis H Kuller
- Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - James T Becker
- Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15139, USA
| | - Oscar L Lopez
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Paul M Thompson
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, USA; Depts. of Neurology, Psychiatry, Engineering, Radiology, & Ophthalmology, Keck/USC School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Meredith N Braskie
- Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA 90292, USA.
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Saute RL, Soder RB, Alves Filho JO, Baldisserotto M, Franco AR. Increased brain cortical thickness associated with visceral fat in adolescents. Pediatr Obes 2018; 13:74-77. [PMID: 27788560 DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Revised: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There has been a growing amount of evidence indicating that excess visceral fat is associated with alterations in brain structure and function, including brain cortical thinning in adults. OBJECTIVES This study aims to investigate the relationship between brain cortical thickness with obesity assessments, in adolescents. METHODS In this study, we measured three different obesity assessments within an adolescent population (aged 15 - 18 years): body mass index (BMI), visceral fat ratio measured with an MRI and hepatorenal gradient measured with an ultrasound. Volunteers also underwent an MRI scan to measure brain structure. RESULTS Results indicated that there was no relationship of BMI or hepatorenal gradient with brain cortical dimensions. However, there was a significant association between visceral fat ratio and an increase of cortical thickness throughout the brain. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that visceral fat, but not BMI, is correlated with cortical thickening in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Saute
- PUCRS, Brain Institute (BraIns), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,PUCRS, Faculdade de Medicina, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - R B Soder
- PUCRS, Brain Institute (BraIns), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,PUCRS, Faculdade de Medicina, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - J O Alves Filho
- PUCRS, Brain Institute (BraIns), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,PUCRS, Faculdade de Engenharia, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - M Baldisserotto
- PUCRS, Brain Institute (BraIns), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,PUCRS, Faculdade de Medicina, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - A R Franco
- PUCRS, Brain Institute (BraIns), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,PUCRS, Faculdade de Medicina, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,PUCRS, Faculdade de Engenharia, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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11
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Schwarz NF, Nordstrom LK, Pagen LHG, Palombo DJ, Salat DH, Milberg WP, McGlinchey RE, Leritz EC. Differential associations of metabolic risk factors on cortical thickness in metabolic syndrome. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2017; 17:98-108. [PMID: 29062686 PMCID: PMC5641920 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Revised: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Objective Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia. While sizable prior literature has examined associations between individual risk factors and quantitative measures of cortical thickness (CT), only very limited research has investigated such measures in MetS. Furthermore, the relative contributions of these risk factors to MetS-related effects on brain morphology have not yet been studied. The primary goal of this investigation was to examine how MetS may affect CT. A secondary goal was to explore the relative contributions of individual risk factors to regional alterations in CT, with the potential to identify risk factor combinations that may underlie structural changes. Methods Eighteen participants with MetS (mean age = 59.78 years) were age-matched with 18 healthy control participants (mean age = 60.50 years). CT measures were generated from T1-weighted images and groups were contrasted using whole-brain general linear modeling. A follow-up multivariate partial least squares correlation (PLS) analysis, including the full study sample with complete risk factor measurements (N = 53), was employed to examine which risk factors account for variance in group structural differences. Results Participants with MetS demonstrated significantly reduced CT in left hemisphere inferior parietal, rostral middle frontal, and lateral occipital clusters and in a right hemisphere precentral cluster. The PLS analysis revealed that waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, and glucose were significant contributors to reduced CT in these clusters. In contrast, diastolic blood pressure showed a significantly positive association with CT while systolic blood pressure did not emerge as a significant contributor. Age was not associated with CT. Conclusion These results indicate that MetS can be associated with regionally specific reductions in CT. Importantly, a novel link between a risk factor profile comprising indices of obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and diastolic BP and localized alterations in CT emerged. While the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these associations remain incompletely understood, these findings may be relevant for future investigations of MetS and might have implications for treatment approaches that focus on specific risk factor profiles with the aim to reduce negative consequences on the structural integrity of the brain. Cortical thickness is reduced bilaterally in metabolic syndrome. Five out of six risk factor components contribute to altered cortical thickness. Particular risk factor combination may be an important target for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolette F Schwarz
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leslie K Nordstrom
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Linda H G Pagen
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniela J Palombo
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David H Salat
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston, MA, USA
| | - William P Milberg
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Regina E McGlinchey
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Leritz
- Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center (NeRVe), Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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12
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Chen CH, Chen YF, Chiu MJ, Chen TF, Tsai PH, Chen JH, Yen CJ, Tang SC, Yeh SJ, Chen YC. Effect of Kidney Dysfunction on Cerebral Cortical Thinning in Elderly Population. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2337. [PMID: 28539636 PMCID: PMC5443828 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-02537-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease has been linked to cognitive impairment and morphological brain change. However, less is known about the impact of kidney functions on cerebral cortical thickness. This study investigated the relationship between kidney functions and global or lobar cerebral cortical thickness (CTh) in 259 non-demented elderly persons. Forty-three participants (16.7%) had kidney dysfunction, which was defined as either a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 or presence of proteinuria. Kidney dysfunction was associated with lower global (β = −0.05, 95% CI = −0.08 to −0.01) as well as frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and insular lobar CTh. In the stratified analysis, the associations were more pronounced in women, APOEε4 non-carriers, and participants with a lower cognitive score. Besides, kidney dysfunction significantly increased the risk of cortical thinning, defined as being the lowest CTh tertile, in the insular lobe (adjusted odds ratio = 2.74, 95% CI = 1.31−5.74). Our results suggested that kidney dysfunction should be closely monitored and managed in elderly population to prevent neurodegeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Hao Chen
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei, 10055, Taiwan.,Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 1, Changde Street, Taipei, 10048, Taiwan.,Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, No. 21, Nanya South Road, Banciao District, New Taipei City, 22060, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Fang Chen
- Department of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 1, Changde Street, Taipei, 10048, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Jang Chiu
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 1, Changde Street, Taipei, 10048, Taiwan
| | - Ta-Fu Chen
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 1, Changde Street, Taipei, 10048, Taiwan
| | - Ping-Huan Tsai
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei, 10055, Taiwan
| | - Jen-Hau Chen
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei, 10055, Taiwan.,Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 1, Changde Street, Taipei, 10048, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Jen Yen
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 1, Changde Street, Taipei, 10048, Taiwan
| | - Sung-Chun Tang
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 1, Changde Street, Taipei, 10048, Taiwan
| | - Shin-Joe Yeh
- Department of Neurology, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 1, Changde Street, Taipei, 10048, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Ching Chen
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei, 10055, Taiwan. .,Department of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17 Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei, 10055, Taiwan. .,Research Center for Genes, Environment and Human Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17 Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei, 10055, Taiwan.
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13
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Does medial temporal lobe thickness mediate the association between risk factor burden and memory performance in middle-aged or older adults with metabolic syndrome? Neurosci Lett 2016; 636:225-232. [PMID: 27717834 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Revised: 10/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities that together may increase the risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia; however, the neural substrate is incompletely understood. We investigated cortical thickness in the medial temporal lobe (MTL), hippocampal volume, as well as relationships among metabolic risk factor burden, structure and memory performance. Path-analytic models were tested to explore the relations between MetS risk factor, structure and memory performance. Participants were 65 non-demented, middle-aged and older adults, 34 with and 31 without metabolic syndrome. We analyzed archival T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquired at 3T and Total Recall and Delayed Recall scores from the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test Revised (BVMT-R). Middle-aged adults with MetS showed less MTL thickness, particularly in entorhinal cortex; while older adults showed a trend for left hippocampal volume loss. Lower MTL thickness, particularly in entorhinal cortex, was associated with greater metabolic risk factor burden in middle-aged adults. In older adults, hippocampal volume was associated with Total Recall and Delayed Recall, while in middle-age entorhinal cortical thickness mediated the association between metabolic disease burden and episodic memory function. The differential findings in middle-aged and older adults with MetS contribute to an understanding of the relationships between metabolic syndrome, structural changes in the brain and increased risk for cognitive decline.
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14
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Malashenkova IK, Krynskiy SA, Khailov NA, Kazanova GV, Velichkovsky BB, Didkovsky NA. The role of cytokines in memory consolidation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1134/s2079086416020055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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15
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Relationship between neurotoxic kynurenine metabolites and reductions in right medial prefrontal cortical thickness in major depressive disorder. Brain Behav Immun 2016; 53:39-48. [PMID: 26546831 PMCID: PMC4783304 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2015.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2015] [Revised: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 11/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Reductions in gray matter volume of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), especially the rostral and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (rACC, sgACC) are a widely reported finding in major depressive disorder (MDD). Inflammatory mediators, which are elevated in a subgroup of patients with MDD, activate the kynurenine metabolic pathway and increase production of neuroactive metabolites such as kynurenic acid (KynA), 3-hydroxykynurenine (3HK) and quinolinic acid (QA) which influence neuroplasticity. It is not known whether the alterations in brain structure and function observed in major depressive disorders are due to the direct effect of inflammatory mediators or the effects of neurotoxic kynurenine metabolites. Here, using partial posterior predictive distribution mediation analysis, we tested whether the serum concentrations of kynurenine pathway metabolites mediated reductions in cortical thickness in mPFC regions in MDD. Further, we tested whether any association between C-reactive protein (CRP) and cortical thickness would be mediated by kynurenine pathway metabolites. Seventy-three unmedicated subjects who met DSM-IV-TR criteria for MDD and 91 healthy controls (HC) completed MRI scanning using a pulse sequence optimized for tissue contrast resolution. Automated cortical parcellation was performed using the PALS-B12 Brodmann area atlas as implemented in FreeSurfer in order to compare the cortical thickness and cortical area of six PFC regions: Brodmann areas (BA) 9, 10, 11, 24, 25, and 32. Serum concentrations of kynurenine pathway metabolites were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) detection, while high-sensitivity CRP concentration was measured immunoturbidimetrically. Compared with HCs, the MDD group showed a reduction in cortical thickness of the right BA24 (p<0.01) and BA32 (p<0.05) regions and MDD patients with a greater number of depressive episodes displayed thinner cortex in BA32 (p<0.05). Consistent with our previous findings in an overlapping sample, the KynA/3HK ratio and the log KynA/QA were reduced in the MDD group relative to the HC group (p's<0.05) and symptoms of anhedonia were negatively correlated with log KynA/QA in the MDD group (p<0.05). Both KynA/3HK and log KynA/QA at least partially mediated the relationship between diagnosis and cortical thickness of right BA32 (p's<0.05). CRP was inversely associated with BA32 thickness (p<0.01) and KynA/3HK partially mediated the relationship between CRP and the thickness of right BA32 (p<0.05). The results raise the possibility that the relative imbalance between KynA and neurotoxic kynurenine metabolites may partially explain the reductions in mPFC thickness observed in MDD, and further that these changes are more strongly linked to the putative effects of neuroactive kynurenine metabolites than those of inflammatory mediators.
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