scholarly journals Evaluating the effect of birth weight on brain volumes and depression: An observational and genetic study using UK Biobank cohort

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Ye ◽  
Cuiyan Wu ◽  
Xiaomeng Chu ◽  
Yan Wen ◽  
Ping Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Phenotypic Data ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Mediation Effects

Abstract Background. Birth weight influences not only brain development, but also mental health outcomes, including depression, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Methods. The phenotypic data of 12,872–91,009 participants (59.18–63.38% women) from UK Biobank were included to test the associations between the birth weight, depression, and brain volumes through the linear and logistic regression models. As birth weight is highly heritable, the polygenic risk scores (PRSs) of birth weight were calculated from the UK Biobank cohort (154,539 participants, 56.90% women) to estimate the effect of birth weight-related genetic variation on the development of depression and brain volumes. Finally, the mediation analyses of step approach and mediation analysis were used to estimate the role of brain volumes in the association between birth weight and depression. All analyses were conducted sex stratified to assess sex-specific role in the associations. Result. We observed associations between birth weight and depression (odds ratio [OR] = 0.968, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.957–0.979, p = 2.29 × 10−6). Positive associations were observed between birth weight and brain volumes, such as gray matter (B = 0.131, p = 3.51 × 10−74) and white matter (B = 0.129, p = 1.67 × 10−74). Depression was also associated with brain volume, such as left thalamus (OR = 0.891, 95% CI = 0.850–0.933, p = 4.46 × 10−5) and right thalamus (OR = 0.884, 95% CI = 0.841–0.928, p = 2.67 × 10−5). Additionally, significant mediation effects of brain volume were found for the associations between birth weight and depression through steps approach and mediation analysis, such as gray matter (B = –0.220, p = 0.020) and right thalamus (B = –0.207, p = 0.014). Conclusions. Our results showed the associations among birth weight, depression, and brain volumes, and the mediation effect of brain volumes also provide evidence for the sex-specific of associations.

scholarly journals The Association of Age at Diagnosis of Hypertension With Brain Structure and Incident Dementia in the UK Biobank

Hypertension ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianwen Shang ◽  
Edward Hill ◽  
Zhuoting Zhu ◽  
Jiahao Liu ◽  
B. Zongyuan Ge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gray Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Hospital Inpatient ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Diagnosis Of Hypertension

Little is known about whether the association of hypertension with brain volume and dementia is modified by an individual’s age at their diagnosis of hypertension. Our analysis was based on the UK Biobank with baseline data collected between 2006 and 2010. Brain magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure brain volumes between 2014 and 2019. Dementia was ascertained using hospital inpatient, mortality, and self-reported data until 2021. We randomly selected a control participant for each hypertensive participant stratified by hypertension diagnosis age using propensity score. The cohort comprised 11 399 individuals with hypertension and 11 399 controls for the brain volume analysis and 124 053 individuals with hypertension and 124 053 controls for the dementia analysis. Individuals with hypertension diagnosed at ages <35 (β (95% CI, −10.83 [−19.27 to −2.39] mL), 35 to 44 (−6.82 [−12.18 to −1.46] mL), and 45 to 54 years (−3.77 [−6.91 to −0.64] mL) had smaller total brain volume compared with the corresponding controls in the multivariable analysis. Similarly, hypertension diagnosed in early- and mid-life was independently associated with smaller volumes of gray matter, peripheral cortical gray matter, and white matter. Over a median follow-up of 11.9 years, 4626 cases of incident all-cause dementia were documented. Individuals with hypertension diagnosed at 35 to 44 years of age only (hazard ratio [95% CI]: 1.61 [1.31–1.99]) had a higher risk of all-cause dementia compared with the corresponding controls after adjustment for covariates. Hypertension diagnosed in young adulthood or mid-life, but not late life is associated with smaller brain volumes and an increased risk of dementia.

scholarly journals Mediation effects of mean Hounsfield unit on relationship between hemoglobin and expansion of intracerebral hemorrhage

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Soo Kim ◽  
Han-Gil Jeong ◽  
Hee-Yun Chae ◽  
Beom Joon Kim ◽  
Jihoon Kang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intracerebral Hemorrhage ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Hounsfield Unit ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Hematoma Expansion ◽  
Hematoma Volume ◽  
Mediation Effects ◽  
Potential Marker ◽  
Baseline Systolic Blood Pressure ◽  
The Mean

AbstractLow hemoglobin levels are known to be associated with hematoma expansion (HE) and poor functional outcome in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, it is not yet known whether low hemoglobin itself causes HE directly or is merely a confounder. Thus, we investigated the mediation effect of the mean Hounsfield unit (HU) of hematoma on the relationship between low hemoglobin and expansion of ICH. Overall, 232 consecutive patients with ICH who underwent non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) within 12 h since onset were included. The mean HU and hematoma volume on NCCT were investigated using semi-automated planimetry. HE was defined as an increase in hematoma volume > 33% or 6 mL. The respective associations among the hemoglobin level, mean HU, and HE were analyzed using multivariable regression analysis, adjusting for age, sex, and known HE predictors. Mediation analysis was performed to examine the potential causal association among the three. HE occurred in 34.5% of patients; hemoglobin levels were inversely associated with HE occurrence (adjusted odds ratio, 0.90; p = 0.03). The mean HU of the hematoma was lower in patients with HE than in patients without HE (58.5 ± 3.3 vs. 56.8 ± 3.0; p < 0.01). Hemoglobin levels on admission were linearly related to the mean HU (adjusted β, 0.33; p < 0.01) after adjusting for known HE predictors (time from onset to CT, antithrombotic use, hematoma volume). Causal mediation analysis showed a significant mediation effect of the mean HU on the association between hemoglobin levels and HE (p = 0.04). The proportion of indirect effect through the mean HU among the total effect was 19% (p = 0.05). The mediation effect became nonsignificant in the when the multivariable model was adjusted with additional covariates (baseline systolic blood pressure and hematoma location). The mean HU of the hematoma mediated the association between hemoglobin levels and HE occurrence. Therefore, the mean HU of the hematoma may be a potential marker of impaired hemostasis in patients with ICH.

scholarly journals Brain volumes of very low birth weight infants measured by two dimensional cranial ultrasonography, a prospective cohort study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gulsum Kadioglu ◽  
Fuat Emre Canpolat ◽  
Mehmet Buyuktiryaki ◽  
H. Gozde Kanmaz Kutman ◽  
Cuneyt Tayman
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Very Low Birth Weight ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Dimensional Measurements ◽  
Cranial Ultrasonography

Background: Cranial ultrasonography is the main neuroimaging technique for very low birth weight infants. Brain volume is a very important information about central nervous system of preterm babies. This study aimed to evaluate brain volumes of preterm infants with two dimensional measurements of cranial ultrasonography. Methods: Intracranial height, anteroposterior diameter, bi-parietal diamater, ventricular height, thalamo-occipital distance and ventricular index measured with routine cranial ultrasonographic scanning. Brain considered a spheric, ellipsoid model and estimated absolute brain volume (EABV) calculated by substracting two lateral ventricular volumes from the total brain volume. Results: One hundred and twenty one preterm infants under a birthweight of 1500 g and 32 weeks of gestational age included in this study. Mean gestational age of study population was 27,7 weeks, and mean birthweight was 1057 grams. Twenty two of 121 infants had dilated ventricle, in this group EABV was lower than normal group (202 ± 58 cm3 vs 250 ± 53 cm3, respectively, p<0.01). Advanced resuscitation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and late onset sepsis found to be independent risk factors for low brain volume in our data. Conclusions: Estimated absolute brain volume could be calculated and estimated by two dimensional measurements with transfontanel ultrasonography. Clinical Trial Registration ID #NCT02848755.

scholarly journals Identifying Mediators Underlying the Intergenerational Cycle of Obesity: A Causal Mediation Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1655-1655
Author(s):  
Tiange Liu ◽  
Noel Mueller ◽  
Sara Benjamin-Neelon
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Z Score ◽  
Causal Mediation ◽  
Causal Mediation Analysis ◽  
Intergenerational Cycle ◽  
Infant Birth

Abstract Objectives To understand the mechanisms of the intergenerational cycle of obesity between women and offspring. Methods We recruited pregnant women into the Nurture study (North Carolina, US) and prospectively followed up their offspring until 1 year of age from 2013–2017. The exposure of this analysis was self-reported maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) calculated using weight and height. The outcome was researcher-measured infant weight-for-length z-score (WFLZ) at 1 year, calculated based on the WHO Child Growth Standards. We conducted a causal mediation analysis to estimate the average mediation effect of each mediator, including gestational weight gain (GWG), delivery mode, infant birth weight-for-gestational age z-score, and duration of breastfeeding. We adjusted for maternal age, race, parity, smoking status prior to pregnancy, education, household income, food security, and gestational age (when not examining birth weight-for-gestational age z-score). Results We included 380 dyads. Among mothers, there were 65.5% black, 22.6% white, and 11.8% other/multiple race. Prior to pregnancy, 19.5% were overweight and 45.3% were obese. A 10 kg/m2 increment of pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with 0.16 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.27) higher infant WFLZ at 1 year. When examining mediators individually, birth weight-for-gestational age z-score had a statistically significant mediation effect (0.05, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.08), corresponding to 30.2% (95% CI: 20.0%, 62.9%) of the total effect of pre-pregnancy BMI on infant WFLZ. The average mediation effect by GWG was −0.04 (95% CI: −0.08, 0.00), by cesarean delivery was 0.01 (95% CI: −0.01, 0.04), and by breastfeeding duration was 0.02 (95% CI: −0.01, 0.06). Treating mediators as potential confounders for one another did not alter the results. Conclusions Infant birth weight-for-gestational age z-score mediated, in part (∼30%), the relation between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and infant WFLZ at 1 year. In contrast, GWG, delivery mode, and breastfeeding were not mediators in our sample. This highlights the importance of primordial prevention of maternal obesity, ideally prior to conception, to mitigate the intergeneration cycle of obesity. Research exploring the potential mediating role of factors such as the gut microbiome is needed. Funding Sources The National Institutes of Health.

scholarly journals Cortical and Subcortical Brain Volumes Partially Mediate the Association between Dietary Composition and Behavioral Disinhibition: A UK Biobank Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3542
Author(s):  
Daan van Rooij ◽  
Lizanne Schweren ◽  
Huiqing Shi ◽  
Catharina A Hartman ◽  
Jan K Buitelaar
Keyword(s):  
Brain Volume ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Behavioral Disinhibition ◽  
Dietary Composition ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Subcortical Brain ◽  
Dietary Components

Behavioral disinhibition is observed to be an important characteristic of many neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Recent studies have linked dietary quality to levels of behavioral inhibition. However, it is currently unclear whether brain factors might mediate this. The current study investigates whether cortical and subcortical brain volumes mediate part of the association between dietary composition and behavioral disinhibition. A total of 15,258 subjects from the UK Biobank project were included in the current study. Dietary composition and behavioral disinhibition were based on Principle Component Analyses of self-reported dietary composition). As a further data reduction step, cortical and subcortical volume segmentations were input into an Independent Component Analysis. The resulting four components were used as mediator variables in the main mediation analyses, where behavioral disinhibition served as the outcome variable and dietary components as predictors. Our results show: (1) significant associations between all dietary components and brain volume components; (2) brain volumes are associated with behavioral disinhibition; (3) the mediation models show that part of the variance in behavioral disinhibition explained by dietary components (for healthy diet, restricted diet, and high-fat dairy diet) is mediated through the frontal-temporal/parietal brain volume component. These results are in part confirming our hypotheses and offer a first insight into the underlying mechanisms linking dietary composition, frontal-parietal brain volume, and behavioral disinhibition in the general adult population.

scholarly journals Brain Volumes of very Low Birth Weight Infants Measured by Two-dimensional Cranial Ultrasonography: A Prospective Cohort Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 994-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gülsüm Kadıoğlu Şimşek ◽  
Fuat Emre Canpolat ◽  
Mehmet Büyüktiryaki ◽  
Gözde Kanmaz Kutman ◽  
Cüneyt Tayman
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Very Low Birth Weight ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Dimensional Measurements ◽  
Cranial Ultrasonography

Background: Cranial ultrasonography is the main neuroimaging technique for very low birth weight infants. Low brain volume is associated with poor neurologic outcome. This study aimed to calculate brain volumes of preterm infants with two-dimensional measurements of cranial ultrasonography. Methods: Intracranial height, anteroposterior diameter, bi-parietal diamater, ventricular height, thalamo-occipital distance and ventricular index were measured with routine cranial ultrasonographic scanning. Brain considered a spheric, ellipsoid model and estimated brain volume (EBV) was calculated by subtracting two lateral ventricular volumes from the total brain volume. Results: One hundred and twenty-one preterm infants under a birth weight of 1500 g and 32 weeks of gestational age were included in this study. The mean gestational age of study population was 27.7 weeks, and mean birthweight was 1057 grams. : Twenty-two of 121 infants had dilated ventricle, in this group, EBV was lower than normal group (202 ± 58 cm3 vs 250 ± 53 cm3, respectively, p<0.01). Advanced resuscitation, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and late-onset sepsis were found to be independent risk factors for low brain volume in our data. Conclusion: Estimated brain volume can be calculated by two-dimensional measurements with cranial ultrasonography.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Associations Between Brain Volume and Knee Extension Peak Torque

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuke Osawa ◽  
Qu Tian ◽  
Yang An ◽  
Stephanie A Studenski ◽  
Susan M Resnick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Strength ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Peak Torque ◽  
Knee Extension ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Longitudinal Associations

Abstract Background Muscle strength and brain volume decline with aging; changes in the brain manifested as change in volume may play a role in age-related strength loss, but this hypothesis has never been tested longitudinally. We examined longitudinal associations between brain volume changes and knee extension peak torque change in participants of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Methods Brain volumes and isokinetic concentric knee extension peak torque at 30 deg/s were measured in 678 participants (55.2% women; baseline age, 50.1–97.2 years; median follow-up time in those who visited two or more times (n = 375, 4.0 [interquartile range {IQR}, 2.3–5.0] years). Correlations between longitudinal changes in brain volumes and knee extension peak torque were examined using bivariate linear mixed-effects models, adjusted for baseline age, sex, race, education, and intracranial volume. Results Greater decline in muscle strength was associated with greater atrophies in global gray matter, temporal lobe, frontal gray matter, temporal gray matter, superior frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, and occipital pole (r ranging from .30 to .77, p &lt; .05). After multiple comparison adjustment, only larger decrease in middle temporal gyrus remained significantly related to larger decrease in muscle strength (q = 0.045). Conclusions In older adults, declines in knee extension muscle strength co-occurred with atrophies in frontal, temporal, and occipital gray matter. These findings support the idea that age-related knee extension muscle strength is linked with atrophy in some specific brain regions related to motor control.

Abstract 025: Cross-sectional Relations of Serum Cortisol and Cognitive and Structural Brain Measures in Young Adults: The Framingham Heart Study

Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin B Echouffo Tcheugui ◽  
Sarah Conner ◽  
Jayandra J Himali ◽  
Pauline Maillard Maillard ◽  
Charles S DeCarli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Visual Perception ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Mri ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Matter Density ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Gray Matter Density

Introduction: Chronic stress and related changes in serum cortisol have adverse effects on brain structure and cognition in animal models. However, evidence from population-based studies is scant. We assessed the association of early morning serum cortisol with cognition and brain structural integrity in middle-aged adults without dementia. Hypotheses: High or low levels of serum cortisol are associated with lower cognitive performance and brain volumes. Methods: We evaluated dementia-free Framingham Study (Generation 3) participants (mean age 48.5 years; 46.8% men), who underwent cognitive testing of memory, abstract reasoning, visual perception, attention, and executive function (n= 2231), and brain MRI (n=2018) to assess total white matter, lobar gray matter, and white matter hyperintensity volumes and fractional anisotropy (FA) measures. We used linear or logistic (cortisol categorized in tertiles, middle tertile as the reference) regression to assess the relations of cortisol with cognition, MRI volumes and voxel-based microstructural white matter integrity and gray matter density, adjusting for age, sex, APOE and vascular risk factors. Results: Higher cortisol (highest tertile vs. middle tertile) was associated with worse memory and visual perception, as well as lower total cerebral brain, occipital and frontal lobar gray matter volumes (Table ) . Higher cortisol was associated with multiple areas of microstructural changes on voxel-based analyses (gray matter density and FA). The association of cortisol with total cerebral brain volume varied by sex ( Pinteraction =0.048 , highest cortisol tertile inversely associated with cerebral brain volume in women [ P= 0.001] but not in men [ P =0.717]). There was no effect modification by the apoE4 genotype of the relations of cortisol and cognition or imaging traits. Conclusions: Higher serum cortisol was associated with lower brain volumes and impaired memory in asymptomatic young adults in their forties; women may be particularly susceptible to this influence.

scholarly journals Estimation and Inference for the Mediation Effect in a Time-Varying Mediation Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xizhen Cai ◽  
Donna Coffman ◽  
Megan Piper ◽  
Runze Li
Keyword(s):  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Mediation Effects ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Time Invariant

Abstract Background: Traditional mediation analysis typically examines the relations among an intervention, a time-invariant mediator, and a time-invariant outcome variable. Although there may be a total effect of the intervention on the outcome, there is a need to understand the process by which the intervention affects the outcome (i.e. the indirect effect through the mediator). This indirect effect is frequently assumed to be time-invariant. With improvements in data collection technology, it is possible to obtain repeated assessments over time resulting in intensive longitudinal data. This calls for an extension of traditional mediation analysis to incorporate time-varying variables as well as time-varying effects. Methods: We focus on estimation and inference for the time-varying mediation model, which allows mediation effects to vary as a function of time. We propose a two-step approach to estimate the time-varying mediation effect. Moreover, we use a simulation-based approach to derive the corresponding point-wise conffidence band for making inference of the time-varying mediation effect. Results: Simulation studies show that the proposed procedures perform well when comparing the conffidence band and the true underlying model. We further apply the proposed model and the statistical inference procedure to real-world data collected from a smoking cessation study. Conclusions: We present a practical model for estimating the time-varying mediation effects to allow time-varying outcome as well as time-varying mediator. Simulation-based inference tool is also proposed and implemented an R package on CRAN.

scholarly journals Effects of transformational leadership on teachers’ self-efficacy in education for sustainable development: A serial mediation analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 2534-2547
Author(s):  
Jaewoo Choi ◽  
Woonsun Kang
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Bootstrap Method ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Mediation Effects ◽  
Serial Mediation

Based on empirical evidence, this study aimed to analyze the effect of transformational leadership on teachers' self-efficacy in ESD and test mediation effects in the relationship between transformational leadership and teachers' self-efficacy in ESD. To this end, researchers constructed nine hypotheses, predicting direct effects among variables, each single mediation effect of two mediators, and serial multiple mediation effect. The participants of the research consisted of 193 Korean in-service teachers. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. In addition, researchers applied serial mediation procedures with PROCESS Macro for SPSS to test specific mediate effects based on the bootstrap method. The the research, there were identified mechanisms through which the influence of the principal's transformational leadership on teachers' efficacy occurs in the context of ESD. The findings of the study were discussed in the light of relevant literature, and some suggestions were made for the future. Keywords:Education for Sustainable Development (ESD); Transformational leadership; Teachers’ self-efficacy in ESD; Teachers' attitude toward PD; Professional development; Serial Mediation Analysis

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