Visceral adipose tissue is associated with microstructural brain tissue damage.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Metabolic Health
• Aging Research

Background:

• Obesity is linked to brain microstructural damage.
• Different fat depots, like visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), have distinct metabolic roles.
• Understanding these differences is crucial for identifying specific risks associated with obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the independent associations between abdominal VAT and SAT and brain microstructural integrity.
• To determine if VAT or SAT is more significantly related to changes in brain tissue.

Main Methods:

• The study included 243 elderly individuals (mean age 65.4 years).
• Abdominal VAT and SAT were measured using CT scans.
• Brain microstructure was assessed using magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) to analyze gray and white matter.

Main Results:

• Increased VAT was significantly associated with lower MTR peak height in both gray and white matter.
• SAT showed no significant association with brain microstructure after adjusting for confounding factors including BMI and type 2 diabetes.
• VAT emerged as the sole significant predictor of brain microstructural integrity in stepwise regression analysis.

Conclusions:

• Abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is independently associated with microstructural brain damage in older adults.
• Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) does not show a similar association.
• These findings suggest that VAT accumulation is a critical factor in obesity-related brain aging.