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Brain Structural Remodeling and Longitudinal Grey Matter Changes in Adults with Chronic Cough: Evidence from A
Shuojia Xie1, Mingyu Zhong1, Zikai Lin1
1State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, National Center for Respiratory Medicine, Joint International Research Laboratory of Respiratory Health, Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510000, P.R.China.
Chronic cough (CC) is linked to widespread brain structural changes and accelerated brain atrophy. This suggests dynamic neurostructural changes may underlie altered central neural processing in CC.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Public Health
Background:
- Chronic cough (CC) is increasingly viewed as a hypersensitivity syndrome with neuroregulatory changes.
- Large-scale data on brain structural alterations in CC and their progression over time are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if chronic cough is associated with specific regional grey matter volume alterations.
- To determine if chronic cough is linked to an accelerated rate of brain atrophy over time.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective longitudinal cohort study using UK Biobank data (38,638 participants).
- Quantified regional grey matter volume (GMV) from T1-weighted MRI scans.
- Used multivariable logistic regression for cross-sectional analysis and linear mixed-effects models with propensity score matching for longitudinal analysis.
Main Results:
- Chronic cough (CC) associated with reduced GMV in 63 brain regions, notably the right ventral striatum.
- Females showed more extensive, left-lateralized structural brain remodeling.
- Longitudinal analysis indicated a faster rate of GMV decline in seven regions, including the cerebellum, in individuals with CC.
Conclusions:
- Chronic cough is associated with significant, widespread structural brain alterations and accelerated brain atrophy.
- Findings support the hypothesis that chronic cough involves dynamic neurostructural changes potentially related to altered central neural processing.
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