title: Estimated maximal and current brain volume predict cognitive ability in old age.
abstract: Brain tissue deterioration is a significant contributor to lower cognitive ability in later life; however, few studies have appropriate data to establish how much influence prior brain volume and prior cognitive performance have on this association. We investigated the associations between structural brain imaging biomarkers, including an estimate of maximal brain volume, and detailed measures of cognitive ability at age 73 years in a large (N = 620), generally healthy, community-dwelling population. Cognitive ability data were available from age 11 years. We found positive associations (r) between general cognitive ability and estimated brain volume in youth (male, 0.28; females, 0.12), and in measured brain volume in later life (males, 0.27; females, 0.26). Our findings show that cognitive ability in youth is a strong predictor of estimated prior and measured current brain volume in old age but that these effects were the same for both white and gray matter. As 1 of the largest studies of associations between brain volume and cognitive ability with normal aging, this work contributes to the wider understanding of how some early-life factors influence cognitive aging.
authors.affiliation: Brain Research Imaging Centre, Neuroimaging Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Scottish Imaging Network, A Platform for Scientific Excellence (SINAPSE) Collaboration, Edinburgh, UK; Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Electronic address: nat.royle@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Natalie A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Royle
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Valdés Hernández
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Penke
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gow
authors.forename: Susana Muñoz
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Maniega
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Starr
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Bastin
authors.forename: Ian J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Deary
authors.forename: Joanna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wardlaw
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D002666:Psychology, Child; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aging; Brain volume; IQ; Life course cognitive ability; Structural brain imaging biomarkers