scholarly journals Non-modifiable factors as moderators of the relationship between physical activity and brain volume: A cross-sectional UK Biobank study

Author(s):  
Belinda M Brown ◽  
Jaisalmer de Frutos Lucas ◽  
Tenielle Porter ◽  
Natalie Frost ◽  
Michael Vacher ◽  
...  

Background: Grey matter atrophy occurs as a function of ageing and is accelerated in dementia. Previous research suggests physical activity attenuates grey matter loss; however, there appears to be individual variability in this effect. Understanding factors that can affect the relationship between physical activity and brain volume may enable prediction of individual response, and aid in identifying those that gain the greatest neural benefits from physical activity. The current study examined the relationship between objectively-measured physical activity and brain volume; and whether this relationship is moderated by age, sex, or a priori candidate genetic factors. Methods: Data from 10,083 men and women (50 years and over) of the UK Biobank were used to examine: 1) the relationship between objectively-measured physical activity and brain volume; and 2) whether the relationship between objectively-measured physical activity and brain volume is moderated by age, sex, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met, or apolipoprotein (APOE) e4 allele carriage. All participants underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan to quantify grey matter volumes, physical activity monitoring via accelerometry, and genotyping. Results: Physical activity was associated with total grey matter volume (B = 0.14, p = 0.001, q = 0.005) and right hippocampal volume (B = 1.45, p = 0.008, q = 0.016). The physical activity*sex interaction predicted cortical grey matter (B = 0.22, p = 0.003, q = 0.004), total grey matter (B = 0.30, p < 0.001, q = 0.001), and right hippocampal volume (B = 3.60, p = 0.001, q = 0.002). Post-hoc analyses revealed males received benefit from higher physical activity levels, in terms of greater cortical grey matter volume (B = 0.13, p = 0.01), total grey matter volume (B=0.23, p < 0.001), and right hippocampal volume (B = 3.05, p = 0.008). No moderating effects of age, APOE e4 allele carriage, or BDNF Val66Met genotype were observed. Discussion: Our results indicate that in males, but not females, an association exists between objectively-measured physical activity and grey matter volume. Future research should evaluate longitudinal brain volumetrics to better understand the nature of sex-effects on the relationship between physical activity and brain volume.

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 445-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shea M. Balish ◽  
Gail Dechman ◽  
Paul Hernandez ◽  
John C. Spence ◽  
Ryan E. Rhodes ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 549-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Twardzik ◽  
Suzanne Judd ◽  
Aleena Bennett ◽  
Steven Hooker ◽  
Virginia Howard ◽  
...  

BackgroundThere have been mixed findings regarding the relationship between walkability and level of physical activity in adults.MethodsParticipants from The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) national cohort (N=7561) were used to examine the association between Walk Score and physical activity measured via accelerometry. The subsample included geographically diverse adults, who identified as black or white, and were over the age of 45. Linear regression was used to examine the direct effects, as well as the interaction, of Walk Score by sex, age and race.ResultsThe majority of participants lived in a ‘Very Car-Dependent’ location (N=4115). Only 527 lived in a location that was ‘Very Walkable/Walker’s Paradise’. Living in a location with a Walk Score of ‘Very Car-Dependent’ compared with ‘Very Walkable/Walker’s Paradise’ was associated with 19% (0.81; 95% CI 0.73 to 0.90) lower predicted minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day, after adjustment for covariates. There was no evidence of statistically significant interactions between Walk Score and sex, age or race (p>0.05).ConclusionAccumulated daily time in moderate to vigorous physical activity was higher for participants living in neighbourhoods designated as ‘Very Walkable/Walker’s Paradise’. This effect was not moderated by sex, age or race of participants.


2019 ◽  
Vol 362 ◽  
pp. 122-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilona Ruotsalainen ◽  
Ville Renvall ◽  
Tetiana Gorbach ◽  
Heidi J. Syväoja ◽  
Tuija H. Tammelin ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 914-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay Nettlefold ◽  
Heather A. McKay ◽  
Patti-Jean Naylor ◽  
Shannon S.D. Bredin ◽  
Darren E.R. Warburton

2007 ◽  
Vol 39 (Supplement) ◽  
pp. S380
Author(s):  
Barbara S. McClanahan ◽  
Michelle B. Stockton ◽  
Jennifer Q. Lanctot ◽  
Deborah L. Slawson ◽  
Robert C. Klesges ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sehoon Park ◽  
Soojin Lee ◽  
Yaerim Kim ◽  
Semin Cho ◽  
Kwangsoo Kim ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) and brain volume loss are prevalent in older individuals. Further study investigating the causal effect of AF on brain volume is warranted.MethodsThis study was a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. The genetic instrument for AF was constructed from a previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis and included 537,409 individuals of European ancestry. The outcome summary statistics for quantile-normalized white or grey matter volume measured by magnetic resonance imaging were provided by the previous GWAS of 8426 white British UK Biobank participants. The main MR method was the inverse variance weighted method, supported by sensitivity MR analysis including MR-Egger regression and the weighted median method. The causal estimates from AF to white or grey matter volume were further adjusted for effects of any stroke or ischemic stroke by multivariable MR analysis.ResultsA higher genetic predisposition for AF (one standard deviation increase) was significantly associated with lower white matter volume [beta −0.128 (−0.208, −0.048)] but not grey matter volume [beta −0.041 (−0.101, 0.018)], supported by all utilized sensitivity MR analyses. The multivariable MR analysis indicated that AF is causally linked to lower white matter volume independent of the stroke effect.ConclusionsAF is a causative factor for white matter volume loss. The effect of AF on grey matter volume was inapparent in this study. A future trial is necessary to confirm whether appropriate AF management can be helpful in preventing cerebral white matter volume loss or related brain disorders in AF patients.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eilidh MacNicol ◽  
Paul Wright ◽  
Eugene Kim ◽  
Irene Brusini ◽  
Oscar Esteban ◽  
...  

Age-specific resources mitigate biases in human MRI processing arising from structural changes across the lifespan. There are fewer age-specific resources for preclinical imaging, and they only represent developmental periods rather than adulthood. Since rats recapitulate many facets of human aging, it was hypothesized that brain volume and each tissue’s relative contribution to total brain volume would change with age in the adult rat. However, the currently available tissue probability maps, which provide a priori information for tissue volume estimation, provide inaccurate grey matter probabilities in subcortical structures, particularly the thalamus. Consequently, age-specific templates and tissue probability maps were generated from a longitudinal study that scanned a cohort of rats at 3, 5, 11, and 17 months old. Mixed-effects models assessed the effect of age on brain, grey matter, white matter, and CSF volumes, and the relative tissue proportions. Grey and white matter volume increased with age, and the tissue proportions relative to total brain volume varied throughout adulthood. Furthermore, we present evidence of a systematic underestimation of thalamic grey matter volume with existing resources, which is mitigated with the use of age-specific tissue probability maps since the derived estimates better matched histological evidence. To reduce age-related biases in image pre-processing, a set of rat brain resources from across the adult lifespan is consequently released to expand the preclinical MRI community’s fundamental resources.


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