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Obesity associated with increased brain age from midlife
Lisa Ronan1, Aaron F Alexander-Bloch2, Konrad Wagstyl1
1Brain Mapping Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK.
Neurobiology of Aging
|August 27, 2016
Summary
Obesity may accelerate brain aging and increase neurodegeneration risk. Overweight and obese individuals showed greater white-matter atrophy, equivalent to a 10-year increase in brain age, particularly in middle age.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Public Health
Background:
- Aging and obesity share common mechanisms potentially increasing neurodegeneration susceptibility.
- Direct evidence linking obesity to neurodegeneration in healthy adults is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between body mass index and brain structure in a healthy adult population.
- To determine if obesity impacts brain aging and neurodegeneration risk.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based brain structure.
- Utilized data from 527 healthy adults (aged 20-87 years) from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) cohort.
- Employed cortical reconstruction techniques to measure whole-brain cerebral white-matter volume, cortical thickness, and surface area.
Main Results:
- Overweight and obese individuals exhibited significantly greater cerebral white-matter atrophy compared to normal-weight individuals.
- The maximal effect of body mass index on white-matter atrophy was observed in middle-aged adults, corresponding to an estimated 10-year increase in brain age.
- No significant associations were found between body mass index and cortical thickness or surface area.
Conclusions:
- Obesity is associated with accelerated brain aging, specifically white-matter atrophy, at a population level.
- Findings suggest obesity may be a risk factor for neurodegeneration.
- Further research is warranted to explore the mechanisms underlying obesity-related brain changes.
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