REGIONAL BRAIN DIFFERENCES IN CORTICAL THICKNESS BETWEEN PATIENTS WITH AMNESTIC MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE DEMENTIA

Abstract

between adiposity and brain structure has not yet been fully elucidated. We aimed to evaluate the association of body fat composition with cortical thickness in cognitively normal subjects. Methods: In total, 1,777 (887 men and 890 women) cognitively normal subjects, aged 45 years or older, were enrolled from Health Promotion Center in Korea. Normal cognition was determined by the results of an interview conducted by a qualified neurologist and scores on the Mini-Mental Status Exam that were above the 16th percentile for age-, gender-, and education-matched norms. Medical records including 3D magnetic resonance imaging, body fat percentage, waist-hip ratio (WHR), and other factors were reviewed. The WHR was categorized into six groups based on gender-specific percentile, and surface-based morphometric analysis was used to estimate cortical thickness. Multiple linear regressions and generalized additive models were used to investigate the linear and non-linear relationship of fat percentage and WHR with cortical thickness. Results: In men, the percentage of fat was positively associated with cortical thickness and the highest WHR group showed significant cortical thinning; in imaging analysis, cortical thinning was observed in the bilateral paracentral lobule, posterior cingulate gyrus, and left medial frontal areas. The WHR showed an inverted U-shaped association with total cortical thickness and frontal lobe thickness in men. Among women, there was no significant association of body fat percentage andWHRwith cortical thickness.Conclusions:Our finding suggests that in men, body fat percentagemight have a beneficial effect, while abdominal fat might have a harmful effect on cortical thickness.