Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Radboudumc Alzheimer Center, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2022 Jul;7(7):659-668. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.01.009. Epub 2021 Feb 5.
Social health markers have been linked to the development of dementia. We hypothesize that social health affects brain structure and consequently influences cognitive function. We aim to elucidate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between social health markers and structural brain changes in older adults in the general population.
Social health markers (loneliness, perceived social support, marital status) were assessed in the Rotterdam Study from 2002 to 2008. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was performed repeatedly between 2005 and 2015 for 3737 participants to obtain brain volumetrics, cerebral small vessel disease markers, and white matter microstructural integrity as measures of brain structure. Cross-sectional associations between social health and brain structure were studied using multivariable linear and logistic regression models. Longitudinal associations between baseline social health and changes in brain structure were examined using linear mixed models and generalized estimating equations.
Loneliness was associated with smaller white matter volume at baseline (mean difference = -4.63 mL, 95% CI = -8.46 to -0.81). Better perceived social support was associated with larger total brain volume and gray matter volume at baseline and a less steep decrease in total brain volume over time. Better social support was associated with higher global fractional anisotropy and lower mean diffusivity at baseline. Participants who had never been married had a smaller total brain volume (mean difference = -8.27 mL, 95% CI = -13.16 to -3.39) at baseline than married peers.
Social health is associated with brain structure. Better perceived social support at baseline was associated with better brain structure over time.
社会健康指标与痴呆的发生有关。我们假设社会健康影响大脑结构，进而影响认知功能。我们旨在阐明一般人群中老年人群中社会健康指标与大脑结构变化之间的横断面和纵向关联。
2002 年至 2008 年，在鹿特丹研究中评估了社会健康指标（孤独感、感知社会支持、婚姻状况）。为 3737 名参与者进行了多次大脑磁共振成像，以在 2005 年至 2015 年之间获得脑体积、脑小血管疾病标志物和白质微观结构完整性，作为大脑结构的测量指标。使用多变量线性和逻辑回归模型研究社会健康与大脑结构之间的横断面关联。使用线性混合模型和广义估计方程研究基线社会健康与大脑结构变化之间的纵向关联。
孤独感与基线时白质体积较小有关（平均差异=-4.63 毫升，95%可信区间=-8.46 至-0.81）。感知到的社会支持较好与基线时总脑体积和灰质体积较大以及总脑体积随时间的下降速度较慢有关。更好的社会支持与基线时更高的整体各向异性分数和更低的平均扩散率有关。从未结婚的参与者在基线时总脑体积较小（平均差异=-8.27 毫升，95%可信区间=-13.16 至-3.39），低于已婚同龄人。
社会健康与大脑结构有关。基线时感知到的社会支持较好与随时间推移大脑结构的改善有关。
