Summary: A new study reveals that brain topological
resilience (BTR) negatively correlates with age and vascular risk
factors while positively correlating with cognitive function.
Researchers analyzed data from two multi-ethnic cohorts, finding that
lower BTR is associated with cognitive decline. This study suggests BTR
as a significant marker for assessing brain health impacted by vascular
risks and atherosclerosis.
Key Facts:
- Lower BTR correlates with age and higher vascular risk factors.
- Higher BTR is linked to better cognitive function.
- BTR serves as a potential biomarker for brain health and cognitive decline.
Source: Science China Press
Existing
research indicates that cognitive impairment in late life is the result
of a sequence of life-long events, with vascular risk factors playing a
crucial role in this process. It is important to develop biomarkers
that can detect the early effect of vascular risk factors on the brain.
Brain connectomes introduce integrated-perspective-based measures to
quantify and analyze cerebral changes, thereby providing potential
biomarkers. However, currently, there is no large-sized, cross-racial
database analysis in this field.
summary, this study integrated neuroimaging and network science methods
to propose a brain topological resilience (BTR) metric that reflects
the robustness of the brain. Credit: Neuroscience News
This
study investigated the relationship between brain topological
resilience (BTR), aging, vascular risk factors, atherosclerosis, and
cognition in middle-aged and older adults.
Two
independent, multi-ethnic, community-based cohorts were utilized in
this study: the PolyvasculaR Evaluation for Cognitive Impairment and
Vascular Events (PRECISE) database and the MAS database.
Brain structural networks were constructed based on the Brainetome
template and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data. A combination of
k-shell decomposition and node degree centrality was employed to
determine the order of targeted attack nodes.
The obtained BTR
values were then analyzed to determine associations with age, vascular
risk factors (VRF), atherosclerosis (AS), and cognition. Structural
equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the directed relationships
among these variables.
In the PRECISE cohort, BTR exhibited a negative correlation with age (R = -0.342, P < 1×10-16) and a positive correlation with cognition (measured by MoCA scores, R = 0.174, P = 2.22×10-16). This outcome was also validated in the MAS cohort, where it was negatively correlated with age (R = -0.173, P = 0.003) and positively correlated with global cognition scores (R = 0.258, P = 2.74×10-5) and MMSE (R = 0.185, P = 0.003).
Significant and negative correlations were found between BTR and both weighted VRF (R = -0.109, P = 2.51×10-7) and AS scores (R = -0.131, P = 6.25×10-10) in the PRECISE cohort. In the MAS cohort, there was a negative correlation between BTR and weighted VRF scores (R = -0.187, P = 0.004).
Results of SEM analyses showed that the controlling effect of volume, the pathways from age (standardized Β = -0.255, FDR-corrected P < 1×10-16), weighted VRF (standardized Β = -0.050, FDR-corrected P = 0.031) and weighted AS (standardized Β=-0.047, FDR-corrected P = 0.042) to BTR were statistically significant. The path from BTR to MoCA score was also significant (standardized Β=0.051, FDR-corrected P = 0.039).
In summary, this study integrated neuroimaging and network science
methods to propose a brain topological resilience (BTR) metric that
reflects the robustness of the brain.
Furthermore, this study
investigated whether variables such as aging, vascular risk factors, and
atherosclerosis lead to cognitive decline by affecting BTR. SEM
supported pathways in which BTR mediated the effect of aging and
atherosclerosis on cognition, even after controlling for the effects of
brain volume. This study suggested that BTR is a significant marker that
reflects the effect of risk factors on cognition.
The results
indicated that combining vascular risk factors, atherosclerosis,
cognitive function, and this multidisciplinary measure offers a valuable
and practical measure for assessing and improving brain health.
About this cognition and brain health research news
Author: Bei Yan
Source: Science China Press
Contact: Bei Yan – Science China Press
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
