Journal
NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
Volume 98, Issue -, Pages 197-204Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2020.11.001
Keywords
Cerebral small vessel disease; White matter hyperintensity (WMH); Aging; Neuroimaging; Sex differences; Body mass index (BMI); Obesity
Categories
Funding
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Program [350833]
- National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
- Australian Research Council (ARC) Strategic Award Grant of the Aging Well, Aging Productively Program [401162]
- NHMRC Project [1024224, 1025243]
- NHMRC Project Grants [1045325, 1085606]
- NHMRC Program Grants [568969, 1093083]
- Centre of Research Excellence Grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council [1079102]
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia [1093083] Funding Source: NHMRC
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White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly associated with cerebral small vessel disease, especially in older individuals. This study found that the burden of WMH is significantly higher in women compared to men, particularly in deep WMH. Furthermore, the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and deep WMH appears to differ between men and women.
White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are generally considered to be associated with cerebral small vessel disease, especially, in older age. Although significant sex differences have been reported in the severity of WMH, it is not yet known if the risk factors for WMH differ in men and women. In this study, magnetic resonance imaging brain scans from 2 Australian cohorts were analyzed to extract WMH volumes. The objective of this study is to examine the moderation effect by sex in the association between known risk factors and WMH. The burden of WMH was significantly higher in women compared to men, especially in the deep WMH (DWMH). In the generalized linear model that included the interaction between sex and body mass index (BMI), there was a differential association of BMI with DWMH in men and women in the exploratory sample, that is, the Sydney Memory and Aging Study, n = 432, aged between 70 and 90. The finding of a higher BMI associated with a higher DWMH in men compared to women was replicated in the Older Australian Twins Study sample, n = 179, aged between 65 and 90. The risk factors of WMH pathology are suggested to have a different impact on the aging brains of men and women. (c) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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