1. Association of Metabolic Syndrome With Neuroimaging and Cognitive Outcomes in the UK Biobank.
- Author
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Qureshi, Danial, Topiwala, Anya, Al Abid, Shehab Uddin, Allen, Naomi E., Kuźma, Elżbieta, and Littlejohns, Thomas J.
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METABOLIC syndrome ,COGNITIVE testing ,EXECUTIVE function ,COGNITION ,VERBAL memory ,VERBAL learning ,VASCULAR dementia ,EXPLICIT memory - Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been linked to dementia. In this study, we examined the association of MetS with neuroimaging and cognition in dementia-free adults, offering insight into the impact of MetS on brain health prior to dementia onset. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We included 37,395 dementia-free adults from the UK Biobank database. MetS was defined as having at least three of the following components: larger waist circumference; elevated levels of triglycerides, blood pressure, HbA
1c ; or reduced HDL cholesterol levels. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression was used to assess associations of MetS with structural neuroimaging and cognitive domains. RESULTS: MetS was associated with lower total brain (standardized β: −0.06; 95% CI −0.08, −0.04), gray matter (β: −0.10; 95% CI −0.12, −0.08) and hippocampal (for left side, β: −0.03, 95% CI −0.05, −0.01; for right side, β: −0.04, 95% CI −0.07, −0.02) volumes, and greater white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume (β: 0.08; 95% CI 0.06, 0.11). Study participants with MetS performed poorer on cognitive tests of working memory (β: −0.10; 95% CI −0.13, −0.07), verbal declarative memory (β: −0.08; 95% CI −0.11, −0.05), processing speed (β: −0.06; 95% CI −0.09, −0.04), verbal and numerical reasoning (β: −0.07; 95% CI −0.09, −0.04), nonverbal reasoning (β: −0.03; 95% CI −0.05, −0.01), and on tests of executive function, where higher scores indicated poorer performance (β: 0.05; 95% CI 0.03, 0.08). More MetS components were also associated with less brain volume, greater WMH, and poorer cognition across all domains. CONCLUSIONS: MetS was associated poorer brain health in dementia-free adults, characterized by less brain volume, greater vascular pathology, and poorer cognition. Further research is necessary to understand whether reversal or improvement of MetS can improve brain health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2024
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