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Related Experiment Videos

Central obesity and the aging brain.

William Jagust1, Danielle Harvey, Dan Mungas

  • 1School of Public Health and Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California at Berkeley, 94720, USA. jagust@berkeley.edu

Archives of Neurology
|October 12, 2005
PubMed
Summary

A larger waist-hip ratio (WHR), an indicator of central adiposity, is linked to reduced hippocampal volume and increased white matter hyperintensities. These brain changes are associated with cognitive decline and dementia risk.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Central adiposity, indicated by waist-hip ratio (WHR), is associated with vascular and metabolic factors.
  • These factors are implicated in cognitive decline and dementia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between a larger waist-hip ratio (WHR) and structural brain changes.
  • To determine if WHR relates to brain alterations underlying cognitive decline and dementia.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging cohort.
  • 112 older Latino individuals underwent anthropometric measurements and brain MRI.
  • MRI was used to quantify hippocampal volumes and white matter hyperintensities.

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Main Results:

  • Greater WHR was negatively associated with hippocampal volumes and positively associated with white matter hyperintensities.
  • A 1-SD increase in WHR correlated with a 0.2-SD decrease in hippocampal volume and a 27% increase in white matter hyperintensities.
  • These associations remained significant after adjusting for cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors.

Conclusions:

  • A larger WHR may indicate neurodegenerative, vascular, or metabolic processes affecting brain structures.
  • WHR is a potential indicator for brain changes associated with cognitive decline and dementia.