Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was twofold. First, to investigate the relationship between age, gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes, brain reserve (BR), and specific regions of interest (ROIs) with global cognitive function in healthy older adults participating in a longitudinal study on aging in the island country of Cyprus. Second, to assess the contribution of important demographic and psychosocial factors on brain volume. Specifically, the effects of sex and years of education and the association between depression symptoms on brain volume were also explored in this Mediterranean cohort.Methods: Eighty-seven healthy older adults (males = 37, females = 50) scoring ≥24 on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were included, with a mean age of 72.75 years and a mean educational level of 10.48 years. The Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depression. T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were used to calculate global and regional volumes.Results: Age was negatively correlated with GM, WM, BR, MMSE scores, and ROIs, including the hippocampus, amygdala, entorhinal cortex, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, and positively with CSF. Higher MMSE scores positively correlated with GM volume. Women exhibited greater levels of depression than men. Depression was also negatively correlated with GM volume and MMSE scores. Men had greater ventricular size than women and participants with higher education had greater ventricular expansion than those with fewer years in education.Conclusions: The reported structural changes provide evidence on the overlap between age-related brain changes and healthy cognitive aging and suggest that these age changes affect certain regions. Furthermore, sex, depressive symptomatology, and education are significant predictors of the aging brain. Brain reserve and higher education accommodate these changes and works against the development of clinical symptoms.
Highlights
Age is one of the most significant risk factors for pathological decline associated with dementia, in adults over 65 years old
Prior to examining the main hypotheses, correlations were conducted to investigate the associations between the measures of global brain volume, i.e., total brain volume (TBV), gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain reserve (BR) demonstrated by volume-tobrain ratio (VBR)
volume-to-brain ratio (VBR) negatively correlated with GM, r(87) = −0.37, p < 0.0001, and WM, r(87) = −0.44, p < 0.0001; and positively with CSF, r(87) = 0.88, p < 0.0001 (Table 2)
Summary
Age is one of the most significant risk factors for pathological decline associated with dementia, in adults over 65 years old. Both brain and subtle neuropsychological changes may occur several years prior to the clinical manifestation of dementia (Sperling et al, 2011; Tondelli et al, 2012; Seetlani et al, 2016). The present study contributes to the existing body of literature on determining the contributions of modifiable (education, depression) and unmodifiable (sex, age) risk factors on brain volume and brain health in this cognitively healthy and genetically homogeneous Mediterranean cohort with its unique social and geopolitical characteristics (Chadjikyprianou et al, 2021)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
