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Circulating cortisol and cognitive and structural brain measures: The Framingham Heart Study.
Justin B Echouffo-Tcheugui1, Sarah C Conner2, Jayandra J Himali2
1From the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension (J.B.E.-T.), Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (J.B.E.-T., S.C.C., J.J.H., A.S.B., R.S.V., S.S.), Framingham Heart Study, MA; Department of Neurology (S.C.C., J.J.H., A.S.B., S.S.) and Sections of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology (R.S.V.) and Cardiology (R.S.V.), Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine; Departments of Biostatistics (J.J.H., A.S.B.) and Epidemiology (R.S.V.), Boston University School of Public Health, MA; Department of Neurology (P.M., C.S.D.), University of California, Davis, Sacramento; and Glenn Biggs Institute of Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases (S.S.), University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio. jechouffotcheugui@bwh.harvard.edu echouffotcheugui@gmail.com.
Higher morning cortisol levels are linked to poorer memory and smaller brain volumes in adults without dementia, especially in women. This suggests cortisol impacts cognitive function and brain structure early in life.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Early morning serum cortisol levels can indicate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity.
- Cognitive decline and brain structural changes are often associated with aging and disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between early morning serum cortisol and cognitive performance.
- To examine the relationship between cortisol levels and brain structural integrity in non-demented adults.
Main Methods:
- Participants (n=2,231) from the Framingham Heart Study underwent cognitive testing and brain MRI (n=2018).
- Cortisol levels were categorized into tertiles; cognitive function and brain imaging metrics (volumes, fractional anisotropy) were analyzed using regression models.
- Analyses adjusted for age, sex, APOE genotype, and vascular risk factors.
Main Results:
- Higher cortisol levels (highest vs. middle tertile) correlated with poorer memory and visual perception.
- Elevated cortisol was associated with reduced total cerebral brain volume and gray matter volumes in frontal and occipital lobes.
- Microstructural white matter integrity was compromised in areas like the splenium of the corpus callosum and posterior corona radiata, particularly in women.
Conclusions:
- Higher serum cortisol is linked to diminished brain volumes and impaired memory in middle-aged adults without dementia.
- The observed associations were more pronounced in women, indicating a potential sex-specific effect of cortisol on brain health.
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