Estimated maximal and current brain volume predict cognitive ability in old age

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

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Brain tissue deterioration is a significant contributor to lower cognitive ability in later life; however, few studies have appropriate data to establish how much influence prior brain volume and prior cognitive performance have on this association. We investigated the associations between structural brain imaging biomarkers, including an estimate of maximal brain volume, and detailed measures of cognitive ability at age 73 years in a large (N = 620), generally healthy, community-dwelling population. Cognitive ability data were available from age 11 years. We found positive associations (r) between general cognitive ability and estimated brain volume in youth (male, 0.28; females, 0.12), and in measured brain volume in later life (males, 0.27; females, 0.26). Our findings show that cognitive ability in youth is a strong predictor of estimated prior and measured current brain volume in old age but that these effects were the same for both white and gray matter. As 1 of the largest studies of associations between brain volume and cognitive ability with normal aging, this work contributes to the wider understanding of how some early-life factors influence cognitive aging.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2726-2733
Number of pages8
JournalNeurobiology of Aging
Volume34
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2013

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • Aging
  • Structural brain imaging biomarkers
  • Brain volume
  • Life course cognitive ability
  • IQ

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