Voxel-Based Morphometry Reveals a Correlation Between Bone Mineral Density Loss and Reduced Cortical Gray Matter Volume in Alzheimer's Disease

Yumi Takano; Yasuko Tatewaki; Tatsushi Mutoh; Naoya Morota; Izumi Matsudaira; Benjamin Thyreau; Tatsuo Nagasaka; Hayato Odagiri; Shuzo Yamamoto; Hiroyuki Arai; Yasuyuki Taki

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2020.00178

Voxel-Based Morphometry Reveals a Correlation Between Bone Mineral Density Loss and Reduced Cortical Gray Matter Volume in Alzheimer's Disease

Front Aging Neurosci. 2020 Jun 17:12:178. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00178. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Yumi Takano^{1

2}, Yasuko Tatewaki^{1

2}, Tatsushi Mutoh^{1

2}, Naoya Morota¹, Izumi Matsudaira¹, Benjamin Thyreau³, Tatsuo Nagasaka⁴, Hayato Odagiri⁴, Shuzo Yamamoto^{1

2}, Hiroyuki Arai^{2

5}, Yasuyuki Taki^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
² Department of Geriatric Medicine and Neuroimaging, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
³ Smart-Aging International Research Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁴ Division of Radiology, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
⁵ Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.

Abstract

Background: Decreased bone mineral density (BMD) was associated with poorer cognitive function and increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, objective evidence for the relationship between osteoporosis and AD in humans has not been extensively described. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the relationships between BMD and the cortical volumes of brain regions vulnerable to AD; hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, precuneus, posterior cingulate, and angular gyrus, using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), to investigate the association between bone loss and AD. Methods: A cohort of 149 consecutive elderly participants who complained of memory disturbance underwent high-resolution structural brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We used SPM12 software to conduct a voxel-based multiple regression analysis to examine the association between femoral neck BMD values and regional gray matter volume (rGMV) on structural T1-weighted MRI. Results: After adjusting for subject age, gender, total brain volume (TBV), and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores, the multiple regression analysis showed significant correlations between BMD loss and rGMV decline in the left precuneus, which is an important neural network hub vulnerable to AD. Conclusion: These data suggest that the bone and brain communicate with each other, as in "bone-brain crosstalk," and that control of BMD factors could contribute to cognitive function and help prevent AD.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; MRI; bone mineral density; osteoporosis; voxel-based morphometry.