TY - JOUR

T1 - Lifestyle-related risk factors and their cumulative associations with hippocampal and total grey matter volume across the adult lifespan

T2 - A pooled analysis in the European Lifebrain consortium

AU - Binnewies, Julia

AU - Nawijn, Laura

AU - Brandmaier, Andreas M.

AU - Baaré, William F. C.

AU - Boraxbekk, Carl-Johan

AU - Demnitz, Naiara

AU - Drevon, Christian A.

AU - Fjell, Anders M.

AU - Lindenberger, Ulman

AU - Madsen, Kathrine Skak

AU - Nyberg, Lars

AU - Topiwala, Anya

AU - Walhovd, Kristine B.

AU - Ebmeier, Klaus P.

AU - Penninx, Brenda W. J. H.

N1 - Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - BACKGROUND: Lifestyle-related risk factors, such as obesity, physical inactivity, short sleep, smoking and alcohol use, have been associated with low hippocampal and total grey matter volumes (GMV). However, these risk factors have mostly been assessed as separate factors, leaving it unknown if variance explained by these factors is overlapping or additive. We investigated associations of five lifestyle-related factors separately and cumulatively with hippocampal and total GMV, pooled across eight European cohorts.METHODS: We included 3838 participants aged 18-90 years from eight cohorts of the European Lifebrain consortium. Using individual person data, we performed cross-sectional meta-analyses on associations of presence of lifestyle-related risk factors separately (overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, short sleep, smoking, high alcohol use) as well as a cumulative unhealthy lifestyle score (counting the number of present lifestyle-related risk factors) with FreeSurfer-derived hippocampal volume and total GMV. Lifestyle-related risk factors were defined according to public health guidelines.RESULTS: High alcohol use was associated with lower hippocampal volume (r = -0.10, p = 0.021), and overweight/obesity with lower total GMV (r = -0.09, p = 0.001). Other lifestyle-related risk factors were not significantly associated with hippocampal volume or GMV. The cumulative unhealthy lifestyle score was negatively associated with total GMV (r = -0.08, p = 0.001), but not hippocampal volume (r = -0.01, p = 0.625).CONCLUSIONS: This large pooled study confirmed the negative association of some lifestyle-related risk factors with hippocampal volume and GMV, although with small effect sizes. Lifestyle factors should not be seen in isolation as there is evidence that having multiple unhealthy lifestyle factors is associated with a linear reduction in overall brain volume.

AB - BACKGROUND: Lifestyle-related risk factors, such as obesity, physical inactivity, short sleep, smoking and alcohol use, have been associated with low hippocampal and total grey matter volumes (GMV). However, these risk factors have mostly been assessed as separate factors, leaving it unknown if variance explained by these factors is overlapping or additive. We investigated associations of five lifestyle-related factors separately and cumulatively with hippocampal and total GMV, pooled across eight European cohorts.METHODS: We included 3838 participants aged 18-90 years from eight cohorts of the European Lifebrain consortium. Using individual person data, we performed cross-sectional meta-analyses on associations of presence of lifestyle-related risk factors separately (overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, short sleep, smoking, high alcohol use) as well as a cumulative unhealthy lifestyle score (counting the number of present lifestyle-related risk factors) with FreeSurfer-derived hippocampal volume and total GMV. Lifestyle-related risk factors were defined according to public health guidelines.RESULTS: High alcohol use was associated with lower hippocampal volume (r = -0.10, p = 0.021), and overweight/obesity with lower total GMV (r = -0.09, p = 0.001). Other lifestyle-related risk factors were not significantly associated with hippocampal volume or GMV. The cumulative unhealthy lifestyle score was negatively associated with total GMV (r = -0.08, p = 0.001), but not hippocampal volume (r = -0.01, p = 0.625).CONCLUSIONS: This large pooled study confirmed the negative association of some lifestyle-related risk factors with hippocampal volume and GMV, although with small effect sizes. Lifestyle factors should not be seen in isolation as there is evidence that having multiple unhealthy lifestyle factors is associated with a linear reduction in overall brain volume.

U2 - 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110692

DO - 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110692

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37336327

VL - 200

JO - Brain Research Bulletin

JF - Brain Research Bulletin

SN - 0361-9230

M1 - 110692

ER -