Childhood Disadvantage Moderates Late Midlife Default Mode Network Cortical Microstructure and Visual Memory
Rongxiang Tang1,2, Jeremy A Elman1,2, Anders M Dale3,4
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Summary
Childhood disadvantage impacts brain aging. Lower default mode network (DMN) integrity is linked to poorer visual memory, especially in those with childhood disadvantage, highlighting early aging vulnerabilities.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Aging
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Childhood disadvantage is a significant risk factor for cognitive and brain aging.
- It is linked to impaired episodic memory and default mode network (DMN) abnormalities.
- The long-term effects of childhood disadvantage on the brain-cognition relationship during early aging remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between DMN cortical microstructural integrity and episodic memory in adults aged 56-66.
- To determine if childhood disadvantage moderates this brain-cognition relationship.
Main Methods:
- Used diffusion magnetic resonance imaging to measure DMN cortical mean diffusivity (MD) in 350 men.
- Assessed visual and verbal episodic memory.
- Classified participants into disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged groups based on parental education and occupation.
Main Results:
- Higher DMN MD correlated with poorer visual memory (p = .040) but not verbal memory (p = .535).
- This association was significant only in the childhood disadvantaged group (p = .002).
Conclusions:
- Reduced DMN cortical microstructural integrity may indicate visual memory vulnerability in cognitively normal adults early in the aging process.
- Individuals with childhood disadvantage showed greater vulnerability to visual memory deficits linked to cortical microstructure compared to resilient non-disadvantaged individuals.
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