@article {1140, title = {Age, Alzheimer disease, and brain structure.}, journal = {Neurology}, volume = {73}, year = {2009}, month = {2009 Dec 01}, pages = {1899-905}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: Lack of clear understanding remains on the overlapping atrophy patterns of aging and early Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology in gray matter (GM) of the brain in vivo.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the independent and overlapping patterns of GM atrophy in normal aging and AD.

METHODS: A total of 169 cognitively normal subjects and 33 persons with probable AD enrolled in the longitudinal Cardiovascular Health Study-Cognition Study underwent 3-dimensional volumetric MRI scans. Controls remained cognitively normal for at least 5 years after their MRI scans and the probable AD subjects were relatively early in their clinical course with an average modified Mini-Mental State Examination score of 76/100. The scans were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry adjusting for total intracranial volume, gender, education, and race.

RESULTS: With older age, GM volume was lower in the sensorimotor and heteromodal association areas in frontal, temporal, occipital, and parietal lobes, as well as in the cerebellum (false discovery rate p = 0.05). Additional atrophy was observed in the posterior hippocampus, thalamus, and middle cingulate gyrus. By contrast, atrophy was seen in subjects with AD in the anterior hippocampal/parahippocampal regions and the precuneus. Normal aging and AD overlapped in the hippocampal body and the entorhinal cortex.

CONCLUSION: Brain atrophy with aging was observed in supratentorial and infratentorial areas, as well in primary motor, sensory, and heteromodal association regions. Age and Alzheimer disease exert independent gray matter atrophy patterns but these effects overlapped substantially in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Alzheimer Disease, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cognition Disorders, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Linear Models, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Retrospective Studies}, issn = {1526-632X}, doi = {10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181c3f293}, author = {Raji, C A and Lopez, O L and Kuller, L H and Carmichael, O T and Becker, J T} } @article {1239, title = {Physical activity predicts gray matter volume in late adulthood: the Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {Neurology}, volume = {75}, year = {2010}, month = {2010 Oct 19}, pages = {1415-22}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: Physical activity (PA) has been hypothesized to spare gray matter volume in late adulthood, but longitudinal data testing an association has been lacking. Here we tested whether PA would be associated with greater gray matter volume after a 9-year follow-up, a threshold could be identified for the amount of walking necessary to spare gray matter volume, and greater gray matter volume associated with PA would be associated with a reduced risk for cognitive impairment 13 years after the PA evaluation.

METHODS: In 299 adults (mean age 78 years) from the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study, we examined the association between gray matter volume, PA, and cognitive impairment. Physical activity was quantified as the number of blocks walked over 1 week. High-resolution brain scans were acquired 9 years after the PA assessment on cognitively normal adults. White matter hyperintensities, ventricular grade, and other health variables at baseline were used as covariates. Clinical adjudication for cognitive impairment occurred 13 years after baseline.

RESULTS: Walking amounts ranged from 0 to 300 blocks (mean 56.3; SD 69.7). Greater PA predicted greater volumes of frontal, occipital, entorhinal, and hippocampal regions 9 years later. Walking 72 blocks was necessary to detect increased gray matter volume but walking more than 72 blocks did not spare additional volume. Greater gray matter volume with PA reduced the risk for cognitive impairment 2-fold.

CONCLUSION: Greater amounts of walking are associated with greater gray matter volume, which is in turn associated with a reduced risk of cognitive impairment.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Brain, Brain Mapping, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cognition Disorders, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Mental Status Schedule, Motor Activity, Neuropsychological Tests, Odds Ratio, Predictive Value of Tests, Surveys and Questionnaires}, issn = {1526-632X}, doi = {10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181f88359}, author = {Erickson, K I and Raji, C A and Lopez, O L and Becker, J T and Rosano, C and Newman, A B and Gach, H M and Thompson, P M and Ho, A J and Kuller, L H} } @article {6365, title = {Physical activity, inflammation, and volume of the aging brain.}, journal = {Neuroscience}, volume = {273}, year = {2014}, month = {2014 Jul 25}, pages = {199-209}, abstract = {

Physical activity influences inflammation, and both affect brain structure and Alzheimer{\textquoteright}s disease (AD) risk. We hypothesized that older adults with greater reported physical activity intensity and lower serum levels of the inflammatory marker tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) would have larger regional brain volumes on subsequent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. In 43 cognitively intact older adults (79.3{\textpm}4.8 years) and 39 patients with AD (81.9{\textpm}5.1 years at the time of MRI) participating in the Cardiovascular Health Study, we examined year-1 reported physical activity intensity, year-5 blood serum TNFα measures, and year-9 volumetric brain MRI scans. We examined how prior physical activity intensity and TNFα related to subsequent total and regional brain volumes. Physical activity intensity was measured using the modified Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activities questionnaire at year 1 of the study, when all subjects included here were cognitively intact. Stability of measures was established for exercise intensity over 9 years and TNFα over 3 years in a subset of subjects who had these measurements at multiple time points. When considered together, more intense physical activity intensity and lower serum TNFα were both associated with greater total brain volume on follow-up MRI scans. TNFα, but not physical activity, was associated with regional volumes of the inferior parietal lobule, a region previously associated with inflammation in AD patients. Physical activity and TNFα may independently influence brain structure in older adults.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Alzheimer Disease, Apolipoproteins E, Brain, Female, Humans, Inflammation, Longitudinal Studies, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Motor Activity, Neuroimmunomodulation, Neuropsychological Tests, Organ Size, Parietal Lobe, Surveys and Questionnaires, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha}, issn = {1873-7544}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.05.005}, author = {Braskie, M N and Boyle, C P and Rajagopalan, P and Gutman, B A and Toga, A W and Raji, C A and Tracy, R P and Kuller, L H and Becker, J T and Lopez, O L and Thompson, P M} }