Associations of Diet Quality with Midlife Brain Volume: Findings from the UK Biobank Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Helen Macpherson ◽  
Sarah A. McNaughton ◽  
Karen E. Lamb ◽  
Catherine M. Milte
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Diet Score

Background: Higher quality diets may be related to lower dementia rates. Midlife is emerging as a critical life stage for a number of dementia risk factors. Objective: This study examines whether diet quality is related to brain structure during midlife, and if this differs by sex. Methods: This study used data from 19184 UK Biobank participants aged 40–65 years. Diet quality was assessed using three dietary indices including the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), Healthy Diet Score (HDS), and Recommended Food Score (RFS). MRI brain measures included total, grey, white and hippocampal volume. Linear regression examined associations between diet quality and brain volume, controlling for potential confounders. Results: Better quality diet across all indices was significantly related to larger grey matter volume: MDS β= 429.7 (95%CI: 65.2, 794.2); HDS β= 700.1 (348.0, 1052.1); and RFS β= 317.1 (106.8, 527.3). Higher diet scores were associated with greater total volume: HDS β= 879.32 (286.13, 1472.50); RFS β= 563.37 (209.10, 917.65); and white matter volume: RFS β= 246.31 (20.56, 472.05), with the exception of Mediterranean diet adherence. Healthy eating guidelines and dietary variety associations with total and grey matter volume were more prominent in men. Conclusion: Findings suggest that diet quality is associated with brain structure during midlife, potentially decades prior to the onset of dementia.

Increased brain volume from cereal, decreased brain volume from coffee -- shared genetic determinants and impacts on cognitive function, body mass index (BMI) and other metabolic measures: cohort study of UK Biobank participants

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jujiao Kang ◽  
Tianye Jia ◽  
Zeyu Jiao ◽  
Chun Shen ◽  
Chao Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Genetic Constructs

AbstractObjectiveTo explore how different diets may affect human brain development and if genetic and environmental factors play a part.DesignCohort study.SettingUK Biobank data were collected from 22 centres across the UK.ParticipantsOnly white British individuals free of Alzheimer’s or dementia diseases were included in the study, where 336517 participants had quality-controlled genetic data, and 18879 participants had qualified brain MRI data.Main outcome measuresGrey matter volume, intake of cereal and coffee, body mass index and blood cholesterol level.ResultsWe investigated diet effects in the UK Biobank data and discovered anti-correlated brain-wide grey matter volume (GMV)-association patterns between coffee and cereal intake, coincidence with their anti-correlated genetic constructs. These genetic factors may further affect people’s lifestyle habits and body/blood fat levels through the mediation of cereal/coffee intake, and the brain-wide expression pattern of gene CPLX3, a dedicated marker of subplate neurons that regulate cortical development and plasticity, may underlie the shared GMV-association patterns among the coffee/cereal intake and cognitive functions.ConclusionsOur findings revealed that high-cereal and low-coffee diets shared similar brain and genetic constructs, leading to long-term beneficial associations regarding cognitive, BMI and other metabolic measures. This study has important implications for public health, especially during the pandemic, given the poorer outcomes of COVID-19 patients with greater BMIs.

scholarly journals Causal effect of atrial fibrillation on brain white or grey matter volume: A Mendelian randomization study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sehoon Park ◽  
Soojin Lee ◽  
Yaerim Kim ◽  
Semin Cho ◽  
Kwangsoo Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Mendelian Randomization ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Volume Loss ◽  
White Matter Volume ◽  
Matter Volume

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.

scholarly journals Age-specific adult rat brain MRI templates and tissue probability maps

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eilidh MacNicol ◽  
Paul Wright ◽  
Eugene Kim ◽  
Irene Brusini ◽  
Oscar Esteban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Rat Brain ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Total Brain Volume ◽  
Adult Rat ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Probability Maps ◽  
Total Brain

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.

scholarly journals Usefulness of two-dimensional measurements for the evaluation of brain volume and disability in multiple sclerosis

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 205521732110707
Author(s):  
Satori Ajitomi ◽  
Juichi Fujimori ◽  
Ichiro Nakashima
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Lateral Ventricle ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Brain Volumes ◽  
Matter Volume

Background Two-dimensional (2D) measures have been proposed as potential proxies for whole-brain volume in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective To verify whether 2D measurements by routine MRI are useful in predicting brain volume or disability in MS. Methods In this cross-sectional analysis, eighty-five consecutive Japanese MS patients—relapsing-remitting MS (81%) and progressive MS (19%)—underwent 1.5 Tesla T1-weighted 3D MRI examinations to measure whole-brain and grey matter volume. 2D measurements, namely, third ventricle width, lateral ventricle width (LVW), brain width, bicaudate ratio, and corpus callosum index (CCI), were obtained from each scan. Correlations between 2D measurements and 3D measurements, the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), or processing speed were analysed. Results The third and lateral ventricle widths were well-correlated with the whole-brain volume ( p < 0.0001), grey matter volume ( p < 0.0001), and EDSS scores ( p = 0.0001, p = .0004, respectively).The least squares regression model revealed that 78% of the variation in whole-brain volume could be explained using five explanatory variables, namely, LVW, CCI, age, sex, and disease duration. By contrast, the partial correlation coefficient excluding the effect of age showed that the CCI was significantly correlated with the EDSS and processing speed ( p < 0.0001). Conclusion Ventricle width correlated well with brain volumes, while the CCI correlated well with age-independent (i.e. disease-induced) disability.

Optic neuritis interferes with optical coherence tomography and magnetic resonance imaging correlations

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Zimmermann ◽  
Alina Freing ◽  
Falko Kaufhold ◽  
Gunnar Gaede ◽  
Elena Bohn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Coherence Tomography ◽  
Optic Neuritis ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Optical Coherence ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Retinal Examination

Background: Retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thinning is associated with brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS). An influence of optic neuritis is well documented but sparsely investigated. Recently, the retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL) has been shown to provide superior information regarding visual function and retinal neurodegeneration as compared with RNFL. Objective: To investigate the association of white and grey matter brain volume with peripapillary RNFL and macular GCL in MS patients with and without a history of optic neuritis. Methods: 63 patients with relapsing–remitting MS were included in a two-centre cross-sectional prospective study. All patients underwent retinal examination with spectral domain optical coherence tomography and 1.5 T MRI for determination of normalized brain volume (NBV), white matter volume (NWMV) and grey matter volume (NGMV). Results: Both RNFL and GCL were associated with NBV, NWMV and NGMV in eyes without previous optic neuritis. This association is disrupted in the case of NGMV following optic neuritis. Conclusions: Both RNFL and GCL as parameters of neuro-axonal damage are comparably linked to whole brain as well as white and grey matter atrophy. An event of optic neuritis interferes with this relation, adding further damage to the optic nerve and disrupting especially an association with grey matter.

scholarly journals Causal effects of atrial fibrillation on brain white and gray matter volume: a Mendelian randomization study

BMC Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sehoon Park ◽  
Soojin Lee ◽  
Yaerim Kim ◽  
Semin Cho ◽  
Kwangsoo Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
White Matter Volume ◽  
Matter Volume

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) and brain volume loss are prevalent in older individuals. We aimed to assess the causal effect of atrial fibrillation on brain volume phenotypes by Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Methods The genetic instrument for AF was constructed from a previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis (15,993 AF patients and 113,719 controls of European ancestry). The outcome summary statistics for head-size-normalized white or gray matter volume measured by magnetic resonance imaging were provided by a previous GWAS of 33,224 white British participants in the UK Biobank. Two-sample MR by the inverse variance–weighted method was performed, supported by pleiotropy-robust MR sensitivity analysis. The causal estimates for the effect of AF on ischemic stroke were also investigated in a dataset that included the findings from the MEGASTROKE study (34,217 stroke patients and 406,111 controls of European ancestry). The direct effects of AF on brain volume phenotypes adjusted for the mediating effect of ischemic stroke were studied by multivariable MR. Results A higher genetic predisposition for AF was significantly associated with lower grey matter volume [beta −0.040, standard error (SE) 0.017, P=0.017], supported by pleiotropy-robust MR sensitivity analysis. Significant causal estimates were identified for the effect of AF on ischemic stroke (beta 0.188, SE 0.026, P=1.03E−12). The total effect of AF on lower brain grey matter volume was attenuated by adjusting for the effect of ischemic stroke (direct effects, beta −0.022, SE 0.033, P=0.528), suggesting that ischemic stroke is a mediator of the identified causal pathway. The causal estimates were nonsignificant for effects on brain white matter volume as an outcome. Conclusions This study identified that genetic predisposition for AF is significantly associated with lower gray matter volume but not white matter volume. The results indicated that the identified total effect of AF on gray matter volume may be mediated by ischemic stroke.

scholarly journals The neural determinants of age-related changes in fluid intelligence: a pre-registered, longitudinal analysis in UK Biobank

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rogier A. Kievit ◽  
Delia Fuhrmann ◽  
Gesa Sophia Borgeest ◽  
Ivan L. Simpson-Kent ◽  
Richard N. A. Henson
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
White Matter Microstructure ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Intelligence Scores

Background: Fluid intelligence declines with advancing age, starting in early adulthood. Within-subject declines in fluid intelligence are highly correlated with contemporaneous declines in the ability to live and function independently. To support healthy aging, the mechanisms underlying these declines need to be better understood. Methods: In this pre-registered analysis, we applied latent growth curve modelling to investigate the neural determinants of longitudinal changes in fluid intelligence across three time points in 185,317 individuals (N=9,719 two waves, N=870 three waves) from the UK Biobank (age range: 39-73 years). Results: We found a weak but significant effect of cross-sectional age on the mean fluid intelligence score, such that older individuals scored slightly lower. However, the mean longitudinal slope was positive, rather than negative, suggesting improvement across testing occasions. Despite the considerable sample size, the slope variance was non-significant, suggesting no reliable individual differences in change over time. This null-result is likely due to the nature of the cognitive test used. In a subset of individuals, we found that white matter microstructure (N=8839, as indexed by fractional anisotropy) and grey-matter volume (N=9931) in pre-defined regions-of-interest accounted for complementary and unique variance in mean fluid intelligence scores. The strongest effects were such that higher grey matter volume in the frontal pole and greater white matter microstructure in the posterior thalamic radiations were associated with higher fluid intelligence scores. Conclusions: In a large preregistered analysis, we demonstrate a weak but significant negative association between age and fluid intelligence. However, we did not observe plausible longitudinal patterns, instead observing a weak increase across testing occasions, and no significant individual differences in rates of change, likely due to the suboptimal task design. Finally, we find support for our preregistered expectation that white- and grey matter make separate contributions to individual differences in fluid intelligence beyond age.

scholarly journals Individual differences in brain structure and self-reported empathy in children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Olivia Bray ◽  
Elena Pozzi ◽  
Nandita Vijayakumar ◽  
Sally Richmond ◽  
Camille Deane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Matter Volume

Empathy refers to the understanding and sharing of others’ emotions and comprises cognitive and affective components. Empathy is important for social functioning, and alterations in empathy have been demonstrated in many developmental/psychiatric disorders. While several studies have examined associations between empathy and brain structure in adults, few have investigated this relationship in children. Investigating associations between empathy and brain structure during childhood will help us develop a deeper understanding of the neural correlates of empathy across the lifespan.125 children (66 female, mean age 10 years) underwent MRI brain scans. Grey matter volume and cortical thickness from T1-weighted structural images were examined using the CAT12 toolbox within SPM12. Children completed questionnaire measures of empathy (cognitive empathy, affective empathy: affective sharing, empathic concern, empathic distress).In hypothesised region of interest analyses, individual differences in affective and cognitive empathy were related to grey matter volume in the insula and the precuneus. Although these relationships were of similar strength to those found in previous research, they did not survive correction for the total number of models computed. While no significant findings were detected between grey matter volume and empathy in exploratory whole-brain analysis, associations were found between cortical thickness and empathic concern in the right precentral gyrus.This study provides preliminary evidence that individual differences in self-reported empathy in children may be related to aspects of brain structure. Findings highlight the need for more research investigating the neurobiological correlates of empathy in children.

scholarly journals Phenotypic and genetic associations between anhedonia and brain structure in UK Biobank

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingxing Zhu ◽  
Joey Ward ◽  
Breda Cullen ◽  
Donald M. Lyall ◽  
Rona J. Strawbridge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Brain Structure ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
White Matter Integrity ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Matter Volume

AbstractAnhedonia is a core symptom of multiple psychiatric disorders and has been associated with alterations in brain structure. Genome-wide association studies suggest that anhedonia is heritable, with a polygenic architecture, but few studies have explored the association between genetic loading for anhedonia—indexed by polygenic risk scores for anhedonia (PRS-anhedonia)—and structural brain imaging phenotypes. Here, we investigated how anhedonia and PRS-anhedonia were associated with brain structure within the UK Biobank cohort. Brain measures (including total grey/white matter volumes, subcortical volumes, cortical thickness (CT) and white matter integrity) were analysed using linear mixed models in relation to anhedonia and PRS-anhedonia in 19,592 participants (9225 males; mean age = 62.6 years, SD = 7.44). We found that state anhedonia was significantly associated with reduced total grey matter volume (GMV); increased total white matter volume (WMV); smaller volumes in thalamus and nucleus accumbens; reduced CT within the paracentral cortex, the opercular part of inferior frontal gyrus, precentral cortex, insula and rostral anterior cingulate cortex; and poorer integrity of many white matter tracts. PRS-anhedonia was associated with reduced total GMV; increased total WMV; reduced white matter integrity; and reduced CT within the parahippocampal cortex, superior temporal gyrus and insula. Overall, both state anhedonia and PRS-anhedonia were associated with individual differences in multiple brain structures, including within reward-related circuits. These associations may represent vulnerability markers for psychopathology relevant to a range of psychiatric disorders.

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