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A decade of changes in brain volume and cognition

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Abstract

Brain atrophy can occur several decades prior to onset of cognitive impairments. However, few longitudinal studies have examined the relationship between brain volume changes and cognition over a long follow-up period in healthy elderly women. In the present study we investigate the relationship between whole brain and hippocampal atrophy rates and longitudinal changes in cognition, including verbal episodic memory and executive function, in older women. We also examine whether baseline brain volume predicts subsequent changes in cognitive performance over a 10-year period. A total of 60 individuals from the population-based Women’s Healthy Ageing Project with a mean age at baseline of 59 years underwent 3T MRI. Of these, 40 women completed follow-up cognitive assessments, 23 of whom had follow-up MRI scans. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between brain atrophy and changes in verbal episodic memory and executive function over a 10-year period. The results show that baseline measurements of frontal and temporal grey matter volumes predict changes in verbal episodic memory performance, whereas hippocampal volume at baseline is associated with changes in executive function performance over a 10-year period of follow-ups. In addition, higher whole brain and hippocampal atrophy rates are correlated with a decline in verbal episodic memory. These findings indicate that in addition to atrophy rate, smaller regional grey matter volumes even 10 years prior is associated with increased rates of cognitive decline. This study suggests useful neuroimaging biomarkers for the prediction of cognitive decline in healthy elderly women.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the contribution of the participants and their supporters who have contributed their time and commitment for over 20 years to the University. A full list of all researchers contributing to the project and the membership of our Scientific Advisory Board is available at http://www.medrmhwh.unimelb.edu.au/Research/WHAP.html.

Funding

This study is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC Grants 547500, 1032350 & 1062133), Ramaciotti Foundation, Australian Healthy Ageing Organisation, the Brain Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association (NIA320312), Australian Menopausal Society, Bayer Healthcare, Shepherd Foundation, Scobie and Claire Mackinnon Foundation, Collier Trust Fund, J.O. & J.R. Wicking Trust, Mason Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association of Australia. Inaugural funding was provided by VicHealth and the NHMRC. The Principal Investigator of WHAP (CSz) is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, 3050, Australia

    Rowa Aljondi, Chris Steward & Patricia Desmond

  2. Department of Medicine (Royal Melbourne Hospital), The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia

    Cassandra Szoeke

  3. Institute for Health and Ageing, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia

    Cassandra Szoeke

  4. Aged Care Services Department, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, 3084, Australia

    Paul Yates

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  1. Rowa Aljondi
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Correspondence to Cassandra Szoeke.

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Conflict of interest

Prof. Szoeke has provided clinical consultancy and been on scientific advisory committees for the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Alzheimer’s Australia, University of Melbourne and other relationships which are subject to confidentiality clauses. She has been a named Chief Investigator on investigator driven collaborative research projects in partnership with Pfizer, Merck, Bayer and GE. She has been an investigator on clinical trials with Lundbeck within the last 2 years. Dr. Desmond has been supported by the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Other authors report no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Aljondi, R., Szoeke, C., Steward, C. et al. A decade of changes in brain volume and cognition. Brain Imaging and Behavior 13, 554–563 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-018-9887-z

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