Knoff Aubrey A, Nowak Madeleine K, Van Etten Emily J, Andreu-Arasa V Carlota, Esterman Michael, Leritz Elizabeth C, Fortenbaugh Francesca C, Milberg William P, Fortier Catherine B, Salat David H
Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS 182-JP), VA Boston Healthcare System, 150 S. Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Brain Imaging Behav. 2024 Dec;18(6):1499-1508. doi: 10.1007/s11682-024-00927-1. Epub 2024 Sep 30.
Metabolic syndrome is a collection of health factors that increases risk for cardiovascular disease. A condition of aging, metabolic syndrome is associated with reduced brain network integrity, including functional connectivity alterations among the default mode, regions vulnerable to neurodegeneration. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome is elevated in younger populations including post-9/11 Veterans and individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder, but it is unclear whether metabolic syndrome affects brain function in earlier adulthood. Identifying early effects of metabolic syndrome on brain network integrity is critical, as these impacts could contribute to increased risk for cognitive disorders later in life for Veterans. The current study examined whether metabolic syndrome and its individual components were associated with default mode functional connectivity. We also explored the contribution of posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury on these metabolic syndrome-brain relationships. Post-9/11 Veterans with combat deployment history (95 with and 325 without metabolic syndrome) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging to capture seed-based resting-state functional connectivity within the default mode. The metabolic syndrome group demonstrated reduced positive functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex seed and the bilateral superior frontal gyrus. Data-driven analyses demonstrated that metabolic syndrome components, particularly cholesterol and central adiposity, were associated with widespread reductions in default mode network connectivity. Functional connectivity was also reduced in participants with metabolic syndrome but without current posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis and with traumatic brain injury history. These results suggest that metabolic syndrome disrupts resting-state functional connectivity decades earlier than prior work has shown.
代谢综合征是一组会增加心血管疾病风险的健康因素。作为一种衰老相关病症，代谢综合征与脑网络完整性降低有关，包括默认模式、易发生神经退行性变区域之间的功能连接改变。代谢综合征在包括9·11事件后的退伍军人和创伤后应激障碍患者在内的年轻人群中的患病率有所上升，但尚不清楚代谢综合征是否会在成年早期影响脑功能。确定代谢综合征对脑网络完整性的早期影响至关重要，因为这些影响可能会增加退伍军人日后患认知障碍的风险。本研究调查了代谢综合征及其各个组成部分是否与默认模式功能连接有关。我们还探讨了创伤后应激障碍和创伤性脑损伤对这些代谢综合征与脑关系的影响。有战斗部署经历的9·11事件后的退伍军人（95名患有代谢综合征，325名未患代谢综合征）接受了功能磁共振成像检查，以获取默认模式下基于种子点的静息态功能连接。代谢综合征组在后扣带回皮质种子点与双侧额上回之间的正性功能连接减少。数据驱动分析表明，代谢综合征的组成部分，特别是胆固醇和中心性肥胖，与默认模式网络连接的广泛减少有关。在患有代谢综合征但目前未诊断为创伤后应激障碍且有创伤性脑损伤病史的参与者中，功能连接也有所减少。这些结果表明，代谢综合征比先前研究显示的时间要早几十年就会破坏静息态功能连接。
