Association of social engagement with brain volumes assessed by structural MRI
- PMID: 22997582
- PMCID: PMC3446736
- DOI: 10.1155/2012/512714
Association of social engagement with brain volumes assessed by structural MRI
Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that social engagement is associated with larger brain volumes in a cohort study of 348 older male former lead manufacturing workers (n = 305) and population-based controls (n = 43), age 48 to 82. Social engagement was measured using a summary scale derived from confirmatory factor analysis. The volumes of 20 regions of interest (ROIs), including total brain, total gray matter (GM), total white matter (WM), each of the four lobar GM and WM, and 9 smaller structures were derived from T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance images. Linear regression models adjusted for age, education, race/ethnicity, intracranial volume, hypertension, diabetes, and control (versus lead worker) status. Higher social engagement was associated with larger total brain and GM volumes, specifically temporal and occipital GM, but was not associated with WM volumes except for corpus callosum. A voxel-wise analysis supported an association in temporal lobe GM. Using longitudinal data to discern temporal relations, change in ROI volumes over five years showed null associations with current social engagement. Findings are consistent with the hypothesis that social engagement preserves brain tissue, and not consistent with the alternate hypothesis that persons with smaller or shrinking volumes become less socially engaged, though this scenario cannot be ruled out.
Figures
Similar articles
-
Particulate Air Pollutants, Brain Structure, and Neurocognitive Disorders in Older Women.Res Rep Health Eff Inst. 2017 Oct;2017(193):1-65. Res Rep Health Eff Inst. 2017. PMID: 31898881 Free PMC article.
-
Regional brain gray and white matter changes in perinatally HIV-infected adolescents.Neuroimage Clin. 2013 Oct 29;4:29-34. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2013.10.012. eCollection 2014. Neuroimage Clin. 2013. PMID: 24380059 Free PMC article.
-
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Children and Young Adults With CKD.Am J Kidney Dis. 2018 Sep;72(3):349-359. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2017.11.024. Epub 2018 Feb 15. Am J Kidney Dis. 2018. PMID: 29398180 Free PMC article.
-
Preterm birth and structural brain alterations in early adulthood.Neuroimage Clin. 2014 Aug 13;6:180-91. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.08.005. eCollection 2014. Neuroimage Clin. 2014. PMID: 25379430 Free PMC article.
-
Neuroanatomical changes in white and grey matter after sleeve gastrectomy.Neuroimage. 2020 Jun;213:116696. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116696. Epub 2020 Mar 4. Neuroimage. 2020. PMID: 32145436
Cited by
-
Impact of social isolation on grey matter structure and cognitive functions: A population-based longitudinal neuroimaging study.Elife. 2023 Jun 20;12:e83660. doi: 10.7554/eLife.83660. Elife. 2023. PMID: 37337666 Free PMC article.
-
Lifestyle risks associated with brain functional connectivity and structure.Hum Brain Mapp. 2023 Apr 15;44(6):2479-2492. doi: 10.1002/hbm.26225. Epub 2023 Feb 17. Hum Brain Mapp. 2023. PMID: 36799566 Free PMC article.
-
Social network and the risk for developing mild cognitive impairment and dementia among older adults.Aging Clin Exp Res. 2022 Sep;34(9):2155-2163. doi: 10.1007/s40520-022-02150-8. Epub 2022 Jun 10. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2022. PMID: 35687312
-
Leisure Activities and Their Relationship With MRI Measures of Brain Structure, Functional Connectivity, and Cognition in the UK Biobank Cohort.Front Aging Neurosci. 2021 Nov 16;13:734866. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.734866. eCollection 2021. Front Aging Neurosci. 2021. PMID: 34867271 Free PMC article.
-
A latent variable approach to measuring bridging social capital and examining its association to older adults' cognitive health.Soc Neurosci. 2021 Dec;16(6):684-694. doi: 10.1080/17470919.2021.2001368. Epub 2021 Nov 11. Soc Neurosci. 2021. PMID: 34727017 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Bassuk SS, Glass TA, Berkman LF. Social disengagement and incident cognitive decline in community—dwelling elderly persons. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1999;131(3):165–173. - PubMed
-
- Fratiglioni L, Paillard-Borg S, Winblad B. An active and socially integrated lifestyle in late life might protect against dementia. Lancet Neurology. 2004;3(6):343–353. - PubMed
-
- Karp A, Paillard-Borg S, Wang HX, Silverstein M, Winblad B, Fratiglioni L. Mental, physical and social components in leisure activities equally contribute to decrease dementia risk. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. 2006;21(2):65–73. - PubMed
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
