Differential brain volume between obese and underweight cognitively normal older adults with frailty in the JPSC-AD

Differential brain volume between obese and underweight cognitively normal older adults with frailty in the JPSC-AD

Abstract Frailty is common in older adults; however, the central nervous system mechanisms underlying the differences between obesity and underweight remain unclear. This study investigated brain volume in frail, cognitively normal, community-dwelling older adults across three body mass index (BMI)...

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Main Authors: Naoki Ishizuka, Hiroshi Akasaka, Mitsunobu Sato, Yuriko Sato, Kazuki Hosokawa, Junko Takahashi, Hisashi Yonezawa, Yasuo Terayama, Tomoyuki Ohara, Takanori Honda, Mao Shibata, Jun Hata, Yasuko Tatewaki, Yasuyuki Taki, Tatsuya Mikami, Kenjiro Ono, Masaru Mimura, Kenji Nakashima, Jun-ichi Iga, Minoru Takebayashi, Toshiharu Ninomiya, Tetsuya Maeda, The Japan Prospective Studies Collaboration for Aging and Dementia (JPSC-AD) study group
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-06-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
Frailty
Obesity
Underweight
Older adult
Brain volume
Community-dwelling
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-04659-0
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Summary:Abstract Frailty is common in older adults; however, the central nervous system mechanisms underlying the differences between obesity and underweight remain unclear. This study investigated brain volume in frail, cognitively normal, community-dwelling older adults across three body mass index (BMI) groups: low (< 18.5), intermediate (18.5–24.9), and high (≥  25.0). Whole and regional brain volumes were measured and analyzed. Among 3,627 participants, those in the high BMI group (n = 1,134) had significantly lower multivariate-adjusted total brain volume (66.8% vs. 67.3%, p < 0.001) and gray matter volume (36.1% vs. 36.6%, p < 0.001) than participants in the intermediate BMI group (n = 2,274). Volume differences were observed in the frontal, parietal, temporal, and cingulate cortices, as well as the hippocampal gyrus; amygdala; superior, middle, and inferior temporal gyri; temporal pole; parahippocampal gyrus; and cuneus. Compared with the intermediate BMI group, the low BMI group (n = 219) presented a significantly lower volume in the middle temporal gyrus (1.91% vs. 1.95%, p = 0.008). These findings indicate that older adults with frailty experience differences in brain volume, with atrophy patterns differing based on BMI. Therefore, the central nervous system dysfunction may play a role in the mechanisms underlying frailty.
ISSN:2045-2322

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