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Updated: Jun 28, 2025

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
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Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

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Cardiometabolic disease, cognitive decline, and brain structure in middle and older age

Abigail Dove1, Jie Guo1, Jiao Wang2

  • 1Aging Research Center Department of Neurobiology Care Sciences and Society Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden.

Alzheimer'S & Dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|April 10, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Multiple cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) accelerate cognitive decline in older adults and negatively impact brain structure even in middle age. This highlights the crucial link between metabolic health and cognitive aging.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Cardiology

Background:

  • Multiple cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) are associated with increased dementia risk.
  • The combined impact of CMDs on cognition and brain structure throughout life remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between the number of CMDs and cognitive decline.
  • To examine the relationship between CMDs and brain structural changes using MRI.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of UK Biobank data from 46,562 dementia-free participants.
  • Cognitive testing at baseline and 9-year follow-up; brain MRI for 39,306 participants.
  • Age-stratified analysis (middle vs. older age) using mixed-effects models and linear regression.

Main Results:

  • Higher CMD burden correlated with steeper global cognitive decline in older adults (≥60 years).
  • Multiple CMDs were linked to reduced total brain volume, gray matter, white matter, and hippocampal volume.
  • Increased white matter hyperintensity volume was observed in participants with multiple CMDs, even in middle age (<60 years).

Conclusions:

  • CMDs are associated with accelerated cognitive decline in older age.
  • Poorer brain structural health, including reduced brain volumes and increased white matter hyperintensities, is linked to CMDs starting in middle age.
  • Findings underscore the connection between cardiometabolic health and cognitive/brain aging.
Abstract

Keywords:
UK Biobankbrain magnetic resonance imagingcardiometabolic diseasecognitive declinecognitive domainspopulation‐based follow‐up study

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