White matter hyperintensity load mediates the relationship between age and cognition

Neurobiol Aging. 2023 Aug 25;132:56-66. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.08.007. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTTo elucidate the relationship between age and cognitive decline, it is important to consider structural brain changes such as white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), which are common in older age and may affect behavior. Therefore, we aimed to investigate if WMH load is a mediator of the relationship between age and cognitive decline. Healthy participants (N = 166, 20-80 years) completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). WMHs were manually delineated on FLAIR scans. Mediation analysis was conducted to determine if WMH load mediates the relationship between age and cognition. Older age was associated with worse cognition (p < 0.001), but this was an indirect effect: older participants had more WMHs, and, in turn, increased WMH load was associated with worse MoCA scores. WMH load mediates the relationship between age and cognitive decline. Importantly, this relationship was not moderated by age (i.e., increased WMH severity is associated with poorer MoCA scores irrespective of age). Across all ages, high cholesterol was associated with increased WMH severity.PMID:37729770 | DOI:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2023.08.007

Source: Neurobiology of Aging - September 20, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Natalie Busby Sarah Wilson Janina Wilmskoetter Roger Newman-Norlund Sara Sayers Sarah Newman-Norlund Rebecca Roth Chris Rorden Julius Fridriksson Leonardo Bonilha Source Type: research