TY - JOUR
T1 - Estimated maximal and current brain volume predict cognitive ability in old age
AU - Royle, Natalie A
AU - Booth, Tom
AU - Valdés Hernández, Maria C
AU - Penke, Lars
AU - Murray, Catherine
AU - Gow, Alan J
AU - Munoz-Maniega, Susana
AU - Starr, John
AU - Bastin, Mark E
AU - Deary, Ian J
AU - Wardlaw, Joanna M
N1 - Funding:
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
NCRR NIH HHS [U24 RR021382]
NIA NIH HHS [P01 AG03991, P50 AG005681, R01 AG021910, P50 AG05681]
NIMH NIH HHS [P50 MH071616, R01 MH56584]
Medical Research Council [G0700704, G1001245]
PY - 2013/12
Y1 - 2013/12
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Aging
KW - Structural brain imaging biomarkers
KW - Brain volume
KW - Life course cognitive ability
KW - IQ
U2 - 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.015
DO - 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.05.015
M3 - Article
C2 - 23850342
SN - 0197-4580
VL - 34
SP - 2726
EP - 2733
JO - Neurobiology of Aging
JF - Neurobiology of Aging
IS - 12
ER -