Impact of lifestyle dimensions on brain pathology and cognition
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute; Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg (Germany); German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg (Germany)
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute
- Technische Universitat Braunschweig, Braunschweig (Germany). Department of Control Engineering
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Life Sciences Division
Single lifestyle factors affect brain biomarkers and cognition. Here in this work, we addressed the covariance of various lifestyle elements and investigated their impact on positron emission tomography-based β-amyloid (Aβ), hippocampal volume, and cognitive function in aged controls. Lower Aβ burden was associated with a lifestyle comprising high cognitive engagement and low vascular risk, particularly in apolipoprotein E ε4 carriers. Although cognitive function was related to high lifetime cognitive engagement and low vascular risk, Aβ load had no relation to current cognitive function. The covariance between high adult socioeconomic status, high education, and low smoking prevalence predicted better cognitive function and this was mediated by larger hippocampal volume. Our data show that lifestyle is a complex construct composed of associated variables, some of which reflect factors operating over the life span and others which may be developmental. These factors affect brain health via different pathways, which may reinforce one another. Finally, our findings moreover support the importance of an intellectually enriched lifestyle accompanied by vascular health on both cognition and presumed cerebral mediators of cognitive function.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 1379260
- Journal Information:
- Neurobiology of Aging, Vol. 40, Issue C; ISSN 0197-4580
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
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