Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age

Maria Del C. Valdés Hernández; Tom Booth; Catherine Murray; Alan J. Gow; Lars Penke; Zoe Morris; Susana Munoz-Maniega; Natalie A. Royle; Benjamin S. Aribisala; Mark E. Bastin; John M. Starr; Ian J. Deary; Joanna M. Wardlaw

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.032

Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age

Maria Del C. Valdés Hernández, Tom Booth, Catherine Murray, Alan J. Gow, Lars Penke, Zoe Morris, Susana Munoz-Maniega, Natalie A. Royle, Benjamin S. Aribisala, Mark E. Bastin, John M. Starr, Ian J. Deary, Joanna M. Wardlaw

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) reflect accumulating white matter damage with aging and impair cognition. The role of childhood intelligence is rarely considered in associations between cognitive impairment and WMH. We studied community-dwelling older people all born in 1936, in whom IQ had been assessed at age 11 years. We assessed medical histories, current cognitive ability and quantified WMH on MR imaging. Among 634 participants, mean age 72.7 (SD 0.7), age 11 IQ was the strongest predictor of late life cognitive ability. After accounting for age 11 IQ, greater WMH load was significantly associated with lower late life general cognitive ability (β = −0.14, p < 0.01) and processing speed (β = −0.19, p < 0.001). WMH were also associated independently with lower age 11 IQ (β = −0.08, p < 0.05) and hypertension. In conclusion, having more WMH is significantly associated with lower cognitive ability, after accounting for prior ability, age 11IQ. Early-life IQ also influenced WMH in later life. Determining how lower IQ in youth leads to increasing brain damage with aging is important for future successful cognitive aging.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2740-2747
Number of pages	8
Journal	Neurobiology of Aging
Volume	34
Issue number	12
Early online date	11 Jul 2013
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.032
Publication status	Published - Dec 2013

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

cerebrovascular disease/stroke
cognition
cognitive aging
MRI
white matter hyperintensities
dementia

Access to Document

10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.032

Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age
© Valdés Hernández, M. D. C., Booth, T., Murray, C., Gow, A. J., Penke, L., Morris, Z., Maniega, S. M., Royle, N. A., Aribisala, B. S., Bastin, M. E., Starr, J. M., Deary, I. J., & Wardlaw, J. M. (2013). Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age. Neurobiology of Aging, 34(12), 2740-2747doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.032
Accepted author manuscript, 706 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA)

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458013002455?np=y

Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology Phase 2.
Maclullich, A. (Principal Investigator)
1/09/13 → 31/08/19
Project: Research
RA2661 Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology Phase 2. Main Budget.
Deary, I. (Principal Investigator), Gale, C. (Co-investigator), Holmes, M. (Co-investigator), Logie, P. (Co-investigator), Maclullich, A. (Co-investigator), Porteous, D. (Co-investigator), Seckl, J. (Co-investigator), Starr, J. (Co-investigator), Wardlaw, J. (Co-investigator) & Okely, J. (Researcher)
1/09/13 → 31/08/19
Project: Research
Brain White mater imaging and cognitive ageing in the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1936:II
Deary, I. (Principal Investigator), Bastin, M. (Co-investigator), Penke, L. (Co-investigator), Starr, J. (Co-investigator) & Wardlaw, J. (Co-investigator)
MRC
8/06/11 → 7/03/15
Project: Research

Cite this

Valdés Hernández, M. D. C., Booth, T., Murray, C., Gow, A. J., Penke, L., Morris, Z., Munoz-Maniega, S., Royle, N. A., Aribisala, B. S., Bastin, M. E., Starr, J. M., Deary, I. J., & Wardlaw, J. M. (2013). Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age. Neurobiology of Aging, 34(12), 2740-2747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.032

@article{95a7946800b8485db391ac9496d96a01,

title = "Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age",

abstract = "Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) reflect accumulating white matter damage with aging and impair cognition. The role of childhood intelligence is rarely considered in associations between cognitive impairment and WMH. We studied community-dwelling older people all born in 1936, in whom IQ had been assessed at age 11 years. We assessed medical histories, current cognitive ability and quantified WMH on MR imaging. Among 634 participants, mean age 72.7 (SD 0.7), age 11 IQ was the strongest predictor of late life cognitive ability. After accounting for age 11 IQ, greater WMH load was significantly associated with lower late life general cognitive ability (β = −0.14, p < 0.01) and processing speed (β = −0.19, p < 0.001). WMH were also associated independently with lower age 11 IQ (β = −0.08, p < 0.05) and hypertension. In conclusion, having more WMH is significantly associated with lower cognitive ability, after accounting for prior ability, age 11IQ. Early-life IQ also influenced WMH in later life. Determining how lower IQ in youth leads to increasing brain damage with aging is important for future successful cognitive aging.",

keywords = "cerebrovascular disease/stroke, cognition, cognitive aging, MRI, white matter hyperintensities, dementia",

author = "{Vald{\'e}s Hern{\'a}ndez}, {Maria Del C.} and Tom Booth and Catherine Murray and Gow, {Alan J.} and Lars Penke and Zoe Morris and Susana Munoz-Maniega and Royle, {Natalie A.} and Aribisala, {Benjamin S.} and Bastin, {Mark E.} and Starr, {John M.} and Deary, {Ian J.} and Wardlaw, {Joanna M.}",

year = "2013",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.032",

language = "English",

volume = "34",

pages = "2740--2747",

journal = "Neurobiology of Aging",

issn = "0197-4580",

publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",

number = "12",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age

AU - Valdés Hernández, Maria Del C.

AU - Booth, Tom

AU - Murray, Catherine

AU - Gow, Alan J.

AU - Penke, Lars

AU - Morris, Zoe

AU - Munoz-Maniega, Susana

AU - Royle, Natalie A.

AU - Aribisala, Benjamin S.

AU - Bastin, Mark E.

AU - Starr, John M.

AU - Deary, Ian J.

AU - Wardlaw, Joanna M.

PY - 2013/12

Y1 - 2013/12

N2 - Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) reflect accumulating white matter damage with aging and impair cognition. The role of childhood intelligence is rarely considered in associations between cognitive impairment and WMH. We studied community-dwelling older people all born in 1936, in whom IQ had been assessed at age 11 years. We assessed medical histories, current cognitive ability and quantified WMH on MR imaging. Among 634 participants, mean age 72.7 (SD 0.7), age 11 IQ was the strongest predictor of late life cognitive ability. After accounting for age 11 IQ, greater WMH load was significantly associated with lower late life general cognitive ability (β = −0.14, p < 0.01) and processing speed (β = −0.19, p < 0.001). WMH were also associated independently with lower age 11 IQ (β = −0.08, p < 0.05) and hypertension. In conclusion, having more WMH is significantly associated with lower cognitive ability, after accounting for prior ability, age 11IQ. Early-life IQ also influenced WMH in later life. Determining how lower IQ in youth leads to increasing brain damage with aging is important for future successful cognitive aging.

AB - Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) reflect accumulating white matter damage with aging and impair cognition. The role of childhood intelligence is rarely considered in associations between cognitive impairment and WMH. We studied community-dwelling older people all born in 1936, in whom IQ had been assessed at age 11 years. We assessed medical histories, current cognitive ability and quantified WMH on MR imaging. Among 634 participants, mean age 72.7 (SD 0.7), age 11 IQ was the strongest predictor of late life cognitive ability. After accounting for age 11 IQ, greater WMH load was significantly associated with lower late life general cognitive ability (β = −0.14, p < 0.01) and processing speed (β = −0.19, p < 0.001). WMH were also associated independently with lower age 11 IQ (β = −0.08, p < 0.05) and hypertension. In conclusion, having more WMH is significantly associated with lower cognitive ability, after accounting for prior ability, age 11IQ. Early-life IQ also influenced WMH in later life. Determining how lower IQ in youth leads to increasing brain damage with aging is important for future successful cognitive aging.

KW - cerebrovascular disease/stroke

KW - cognition

KW - cognitive aging

KW - MRI

KW - white matter hyperintensities

KW - dementia

U2 - 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.032

DO - 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.032

M3 - Article

C2 - 23850341

SN - 0197-4580

VL - 34

SP - 2740

EP - 2747

JO - Neurobiology of Aging

JF - Neurobiology of Aging

IS - 12

ER -

Brain white matter damage in aging and cognitive ability in youth and older age

Abstract

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Projects

Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology Phase 2.

RA2661 Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology Phase 2. Main Budget.

Brain White mater imaging and cognitive ageing in the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1936:II

Cite this