Birth Cohorts and Cognitive Reserve Influence Cognitive Performances in Older Adults

Background: Evidence suggests birth cohort differences in cognitive performance of older adults. Proxies of cognitive reserve (CR), such as educational attainment and occupational complexity, could also partly account for these differences as they are influenced by the sociocultural environment of the birth cohorts. Objective: To predict cognitive performance using birth cohorts and CR and examine the moderating influence of CR on cognitive performance and structural brain health association. Methods: Using ADNI data (n = 1628), four birth cohorts were defined (1915–1928; 1929–1938; 1939–1945; 1946–1964). CR proxies were education, occupational complexity, and verbal IQ. We predicted baseline cognitive performances (verbal episodic memory; language and semantic memory; attention capacities; executive functions) using multiple linear regressions with CR, birth cohorts, age, structural brain health (total brain volume; total white matter hyperintensities volume) and vascular risk factors burden as predictors. Sex and CR interactions were also explored. Results: Recent birth cohorts, higher CR, and healthier brain structures predicted better performance in verbal episodic memory, language and semantic memory, and attention capacities, with large effect sizes. Better performance in executive functions was predicted by a higher CR and a larger total brain volume, with a small effect size. With equal score of CR, women outperformed men in verbal episodic memory and language and semantic memory in all cohorts. Higher level of CR predicted better performance in verbal episodic memory, only when total brain volume was lower. Conclusion: Cohort differences in cognitive performance favor more recent birth cohorts and suggests that this association may be partly explained by proxies of CR.

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Abstract TP398: Cognitive Performance Over Time in Children With Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.48.suppl_1.tp398 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Lexa K Murphy ◽

Bruce E Compas ◽

Melissa C Gindville ◽

Kristen L Reeslund ◽

Lori C Jordan

Keyword(s):

Intracerebral Hemorrhage ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Cognitive Outcomes ◽

Cognitive Testing ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Cognitive Difficulties ◽

Total Brain ◽

Low Performance ◽

Over Time

Introduction: Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) accounts for 40% of stroke in children. Few studies report cognitive outcomes and none have conducted serial testing over time. We hypothesized that children with ICH would continue to make cognitive improvements over a two-year period. Methods: Children with spontaneous ICH, including those with primary intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IPH) and/or intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), were prospectively enrolled from 2011-2015 at a single institution. Two raters measured total brain volume, IPH, and IVH volumes. Outcome was assessed with the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure and a cognitive testing battery (Wechsler IQ) at 3 (T1), 12 (T2) and 24 months (T3) after ICH. Results: Sample included 7 children, 6-16 years (median=12.9); 2 had pure ICH, 1 had pure IVH, and 4 had both. Brain AVM was the cause of ICH in 6 of 7; 1 was idiopathic. Initial Glasgow coma scale ranged from 3-14 (median=9). Median hemorrhage volume as a percentage of brain volume was 1.96, interquartile range (IQR) 1.17-3.74. Total PSOMs improved over time from median of 3 (IQR=1.5-4.5) at T1 to 2 (IQR =0.5-3.0) at T3. PSOM worsened in 2 children, 1 with recurrent ICH (pt #2) and 1 with worsening expressive language and increased depression despite full surgical resection of AVM (pt #3). However, serial cognitive testing indicated greater heterogeneity over time, including general improvements in Verbal IQ and sustained low performance in working memory and processing speed in a subgroup (Figure). Conclusion: Children with spontaneous ICH may continue to improve cognitively over two years. However, cognitive performance is heterogeneous across participants and across domains of cognitive functioning with some worsening as cognitive demands increase developmentally with age. Clinical implications include the need for early and serial cognitive testing to assess for cognitive difficulties as children age.

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Associations of Dietary Patterns With Brain Morphology in Children: Results From a Prospective Population-Based Study

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzab049_024 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 911-911

Author(s):

Yuchan Mou ◽

Elisabet Blok ◽

Monica Barroso ◽

Pauline Jansen ◽

Tonya White ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Area ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Diet Quality ◽

Dietary Patterns ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Large Population ◽

Population Based ◽

Brain Morphology ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Total Brain

Abstract Objectives Dietary patterns (DPs) in childhood have been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and cognitive performance in children. However, little is known about the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. We aimed to examine associations of DPs in early and mid-childhood with pre-adolescent brain morphology in a large population-based cohort. Methods We studied children's DPs at ages 1 and 8 and their associations with volumetric (total brain, hippocampus and amygdala) and surface-based brain measures (cortical thickness, surface area and gyrification) at age 10 years in a prospective population-based cohort in the Netherlands. High-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were collected in 3210 children. Brain measures were extracted using FreeSurfer. Dietary intake was assessed using age-specific food-frequency questionnaires. We derived DPs as diet quality scores based on dietary guidelines and identified Western and Prudent DPs using principal component analyses. We used multiple linear regression and surface-based analyses adjusting for multiple testing (Benjamini-Hochberg method) to examine associations with brain measures. Results Higher adherence to a Western DP at age 8 years was associated with a smaller total brain volume (B = –7.84, 95% CI –13.06, –2.61), whereas higher adherence to a Prudent DP at age 8 years was associated with a larger total brain volume (B = 8.45, 95% CI 4.25, 12.65). In addition, children with higher diet quality and better adherence to a Prudent DP showed greater gyrification and larger surface area, mostly clustered in the prefrontal cortex. At age 1 year, no statistically significant associations between DPs and global or surface-based brain measures were observed. No volumetric differences were found in the hippocampus or amygdala at both ages. Conclusions We are the first to show in a large population-based setting that dietary patterns in mid-childhood are associated with brain structural alterations, with a prudent diet being linked to a more optimal development. These findings suggest that a healthy diet is important for children's brain development, which may explain part of the previously demonstrated relation between dietary patterns and psychosocial well-being and cognitive performance in children. Funding Sources This project did not receive any funding.

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Pyruvate to Lactate Metabolic Changes during Neurodevelopment Measured Dynamically Using Hyperpolarized 13C Imaging in Juvenile Murine Brain

Developmental Neuroscience ◽

10.1159/000439271 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 38 (1) ◽

pp. 34-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Yiran Chen ◽

Hosung Kim ◽

Robert Bok ◽

Subramaniam Sukumar ◽

Xin Mu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Mouse Brain ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Metabolic Changes ◽

Brain Maturation ◽

Multiple Time ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Hyperpolarized 13C ◽

Total Brain

Hyperpolarized 13C magnetic resonance imaging has recently been used to dynamically image metabolism in vivo. This technique provides the capability to investigate metabolic changes in mouse brain development over multiple time points. In this study, we used 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging and hyperpolarized 13C-1-labeled pyruvate to analyze its conversion into lactate. We also applied T2-weighted anatomical imaging to examine brain volume changes starting from postnatal day 18 (P18). We combined these results with body weight measurements for a comprehensive interpretation of mouse brain maturation. Both the produced lactate level and pyruvate to lactate conversion rate decreased with increasing age in a linear manner. Total brain volume remained the same after P18, even though body weight continued to grow exponentially. Our results have shown that the rate of metabolism of 13C-1 pyruvate to lactate in brain is high in the young mouse and decreases with age. The brain at P18 is still relatively immature and continues to develop even as the total brain volume remains the same.

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Cognition, structural brain changes and complicated grief. A population-based study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291714002499 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (7) ◽

pp. 1389-1399 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

H. C. Saavedra Pérez ◽

M. A. Ikram ◽

N. Direk ◽

H. G. Prigerson ◽

R. Freak-Poli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Complicated Grief ◽

Population Based ◽

Word Fluency ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Population Based Study ◽

Total Brain ◽

Fluency Task ◽

Structural Brain

BackgroundSeveral psychosocial risk factors for complicated grief have been described. However, the association of complicated grief with cognitive and biological risk factors is unclear. The present study examined whether complicated grief and normal grief are related to cognitive performance or structural brain volumes in a large population-based study.MethodThe present research comprised cross-sectional analyses embedded in the Rotterdam Study. The study included 5501 non-demented persons. Participants were classified as experiencing no grief (n = 4731), normal grief (n = 615) or complicated grief (n = 155) as assessed with the Inventory of Complicated Grief. All persons underwent cognitive testing (Mini-Mental State Examination, Letter–Digit Substitution Test, Stroop Test, Word Fluency Task, word learning test – immediate and delayed recall), and magnetic resonance imaging to measure general brain parameters (white matter, gray matter), and white matter lesions. Total brain volume was defined as the sum of gray matter plus normal white matter and white matter lesion volume. Persons with depressive disorders were excluded and analyses were adjusted for depressive symptoms.ResultsCompared with no-grief participants, participants with complicated grief had lower scores for the Letter–Digit Substitution Test [Z-score −0.16 v. 0.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.36 to −0.04, p = 0.01] and Word Fluency Task (Z-score −0.15 v. 0.03, 95% CI −0.35 to −0.02, p = 0.02) and smaller total volumes of brain matter (933.53 ml v. 952.42 ml, 95% CI −37.6 to −0.10, p = 0.04).ConclusionsParticipants with complicated grief performed poorly in cognitive tests and had a smaller total brain volume. Although the effect sizes were small, these findings suggest that there may be a neurological correlate of complicated grief, but not of normal grief, in the general population.

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Atrial Fibrillation and Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Abnormalities

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.118.024143 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 783-788 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jeremy P. Berman ◽

Faye L. Norby ◽

Thomas Mosley ◽

Elsayed Z. Soliman ◽

Rebecca F. Gottesman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Brain Mri ◽

Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

White Matter Hyperintensity ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Total Brain ◽

Sectional Analysis

Background and Purpose— Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with dementia independent of clinical stroke. The mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. In a community-based cohort, the ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities), we evaluated (1) the longitudinal association of incident AF and (2) the cross-sectional association of prevalent AF with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities. Methods— The longitudinal analysis included 963 participants (mean age, 73±4.4 years; 62% women; 51% black) without prevalent stroke or AF who underwent a brain MRI in 1993 to 1995 and a second MRI in 2004 to 2006 (mean, 10.6±0.8 years). Outcomes included subclinical cerebral infarctions, sulcal size, ventricular size, and, for the cross-sectional analysis, white matter hyperintensity volume and total brain volume. Results— In the longitudinal analysis, 29 (3.0%) participants developed AF after the first brain MRI. Those who developed AF had higher odds of increase in subclinical cerebral infarctions (odds ratio [OR], 3.08; 95% CI, 1.39–6.83), worsening sulcal grade (OR, 3.56; 95% CI, 1.04–12.2), and worsening ventricular grade (OR, 9.34; 95% CI, 1.24–70.2). In cross-sectional analysis, of 969 participants, 35 (3.6%) had prevalent AF at the time of the 2004 to 2006 MRI scan. Those with AF had greater odds of higher sulcal (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.7–9.1) and ventricular grade (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.0–5.7) after multivariable adjustment and no difference in white matter hyperintensity or total brain volume. Conclusions— AF is independently associated with increase in subclinical cerebral infarction and worsening sulcal and ventricular grade—morphological changes associated with aging and dementia. More research is needed to define the mechanisms underlying AF-related neurodegeneration.

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Is Total Brain Volume Correlated to Cognitive Function and Education in Patients with Alzheimer Disease?

The Neuroradiology Journal ◽

10.1177/197140090802100405 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 500-504 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P. Papapostolou ◽

F. Goutsaridou ◽

M. Arvaniti ◽

M. Emmanouilidou ◽

G. Tezapsidis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Alzheimer Disease ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Total Brain

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Higher Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Lower Plasma Glucose Are Associated with Larger Gray Matter Volume but Not with White Matter or Total Brain Volume in Dutch Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Journal of Nutrition ◽

10.3945/jn.115.214197 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 145 (8) ◽

pp. 1817-1823 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Elske M Brouwer-Brolsma ◽

Nikita L van der Zwaluw ◽

Janneke P van Wijngaarden ◽

Rosalie A Dhonukshe-Rutten ◽

Paulette H in 't Veld ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Volume ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Lower Plasma ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Hydroxyvitamin D ◽

Total Brain ◽

Lower Plasma Glucose ◽

25 Hydroxyvitamin D ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

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The Bidirectional Association between Reduced Cerebral Blood Flow and Brain Atrophy in the General Population

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism ◽

10.1038/jcbfm.2015.157 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 35 (11) ◽

pp. 1882-1887 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Hazel I Zonneveld ◽

Elizabeth A Loehrer ◽

Albert Hofman ◽

Wiro J Niessen ◽

Aad van der Lugt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Cerebral Blood Flow ◽

Brain Atrophy ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Total Brain ◽

Bidirectional Association

The question remains whether reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF) leads to brain atrophy or vice versa. We studied the longitudinal relation between CBF and brain volume in a community-dwelling population. In the Rotterdam Study, 3011 participants (mean age 59.6 years (s.d. 8.0)) underwent repeat brain magnetic resonance imaging to quantify brain volume and CBF at two time points. Adjusted linear regression models were used to investigate the bidirectional relation between CBF and brain volume. We found that smaller brain volume at baseline was associated with a steeper decrease in CBF in the whole population (standardized change per s.d. increase of total brain volume (TBV) = 0.296 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.200; 0.393)). Only in persons aged ≥ 65 years, a lower CBF at baseline was associated with steeper decline of TBV (standardized change per s.d. increase of CBF = 0.003 (95% CI −0.004; 0.010) in the whole population and 0.020 (95% CI 0.004; 0.036) in those aged ≥65 years of age). Our results indicate that brain atrophy causes CBF to decrease over time, rather than vice versa. Only in persons aged >65 years of age did we find lower CBF to also relate to brain atrophy.

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Interthalamic adhesion size in aging dogs with presumptive spontaneous brain microhemorrhages: a comparative retrospective MRI study of dogs with and without evidence of canine cognitive dysfunction

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.9012 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e9012

Author(s):

Curtis W. Dewey ◽

Mark Rishniw ◽

Philippa J. Johnson ◽

Emma S. Davies ◽

Joseph J. Sackman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Dysfunction ◽

Brain Atrophy ◽

Clinical Evidence ◽

Brain Volume ◽

Mri Findings ◽

Disease Category ◽

Total Brain Volume ◽

Recent Onset ◽

Total Brain

Objective Spontaneous brain microhemorrhages in elderly people are present to some degree in Alzheimer’s disease patients but have been linked to brain atrophy in the absence of obvious cognitive decline. Brain microhemorrhages have recently been described in older dogs, but it is unclear whether these are associated with brain atrophy. Diminution of interthalamic adhesion size-as measured on MRI or CT-has been shown to be a reliable indicator of brain atrophy in dogs with canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) in comparison with successfully aging dogs. We hypothesized that aging dogs with brain microhemorrhages presenting for neurologic dysfunction but without obvious features of cognitive decline would have small interthalamic adhesion measurements, like dogs with CCD, compared with control dogs. The objective of this study was to compare interthalamic adhesion size between three groups of aging (>9 years) dogs: (1) neurologically impaired dogs with presumptive spontaneous brain microhemorrhages and no clinical evidence of cognitive dysfunction (2) dogs with CCD (3) dogs without clinical evidence of encephalopathy on neurologic examination (control dogs). MR images from 52 aging dogs were reviewed and measurements were obtained of interthalamic adhesion height (thickness) and mid-sagittal interthalamic adhesion area for all dogs, in addition to total brain volume. Interthalamic adhesion measurements, either absolute or normalized to total brain volume were compared between groups. Signalment (age, breed, sex), body weight, presence and number of SBMs, as well as other abnormal MRI findings were recorded for all dogs. Results All interthalamic adhesion measurement parameters were significantly (P < 0.05) different between control dogs and affected dogs. Both dogs with cognitive dysfunction (12/15; 80%) and dogs with isolated brain microhemorrhages had more microhemorrhages than control dogs (3/25; 12%). Affected dogs without cognitive dysfunction had significantly more microhemorrhages than dogs with cognitive dysfunction. In addition to signs of cognitive impairment for the CCD group, main clinical complaints for SBM and CCD dogs were referable to central vestibular dysfunction, recent-onset seizure activity, or both. Geriatric dogs with spontaneous brain microhemorrhages without cognitive dysfunction have similar MRI abnormalities as dogs with cognitive dysfunction but may represent a distinct disease category.

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

10.31219/osf.io/htgqn ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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.

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