Shorter telomere length is linked to brain atrophy and white matter hyperintensities.
BACKGROUND
leukocyte telomere length (TL) is considered a marker of biological aging. Several studies have investigated the link between leukocyte TL and aging-associated functional attributes of the brain, but no prior study has investigated whether TL can be linked to brain atrophy and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs); two prominent structural manifestations of brain aging.


METHODS
we investigated whether leukocyte TL was related to brain atrophy and WMHs in a sample of 102 non-demented individuals aged 64-75 years.


RESULTS
shorter TL was related to greater degree of subcortical atrophy (β = -0.217, P = 0.034), but not to cortical atrophy. Furthermore, TL was 371 bp shorter (P = 0.041) in participants exhibiting subcortical WMHs, and 552 bp shorter (P = 0.009) in older participants exhibiting periventricular WMHs.


CONCLUSIONS
this study provides the first evidence of leukocyte TL being associated with cerebral subcortical atrophy and WMHs, lending further support to the concept of TL as a marker of biological aging, and in particular that of the aging brain.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Division of Psychiatry, Umeå University, Umeå 90187, Sweden.
Mikael
M
Wikgren
Thomas
T
Karlsson
Hedvig
H
Söderlund
Annelie
A
Nordin
Göran
G
Roos
Lars-Göran
LG
Nilsson
Rolf
R
Adolfsson
Karl-Fredrik
KF
Norrback
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D001284:Atrophy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D056784:Leukoencephalopathies / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016615:Telomere / Q000737:chemistry*; D059506:Telomere Shortening
D015415:Biomarkers
brain atrophy; older people; telomere length; white matter hyperintensities