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Systemic inflammation in non-demented elderly human subjects: brain microstructure and cognition
Konstantinos Arfanakis1, Debra A Fleischman, Giorgia Grisot
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, USA. arfanakis@iit.edu
Plos One
|August 31, 2013
Summary
Higher systemic inflammation in older adults is linked to reduced white matter integrity in the corpus callosum and poorer visuospatial skills. This suggests inflammation impacts brain structure and cognition in non-demented elderly individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Immunology
Background:
- Systemic inflammation is increasingly recognized as a factor in cognitive aging.
- The relationship between inflammation, white matter integrity, and cognition in non-demented older adults requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if higher systemic inflammation correlates with reduced white matter diffusion anisotropy and lower cognitive function in non-demented individuals over 70.
- To explore the mediating role of white matter integrity in the association between inflammation and cognition.
Main Methods:
- Ninety-five non-demented older adults underwent clinical, cognitive, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) assessments.
- Systemic inflammation was measured using a composite score of C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.
- Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analyzed DTI data for white matter microstructural integrity.
Main Results:
- Diffusion anisotropy in the corpus callosum was negatively correlated with systemic inflammation.
- Visuospatial ability was negatively associated with systemic inflammation.
- Diffusion anisotropy in the corpus callosum mediated the relationship between systemic inflammation and visuospatial ability.
Conclusions:
- Elevated systemic inflammation is associated with compromised microstructural integrity of the corpus callosum in non-demented elderly individuals.
- This microstructural change may partially explain cognitive deficits, particularly in higher-order visual processing, observed in aging.
- Findings highlight a potential link between inflammatory processes and brain health in aging populations.
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