Visceral adipose tissue is associated with microstructural brain tissue damage.
OBJECTIVE
Obesity has been associated with microstructural brain tissue damage. Different fat compartments demonstrate different metabolic and endocrine behaviors. The aim was to investigate the individual associations between abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and microstructural integrity in the brain.


METHODS
This study comprised 243 subjects aged 65.4 ± 6.7 years. The associations between abdominal VAT and SAT, assessed by CT, and magnetization transfer imaging markers of brain microstructure for gray and white matter were analyzed and adjusted for confounding factors.


RESULTS
VAT was associated with normalized MTR peak height in gray (β -0.216) and white matter (β -0.240) (both P < 0.01) after adjustment for confounding factors. After adjustment for sex, age, and descent, SAT was associated with normalized MTR peak height in gray and white matter, but not after additional correction for BMI, hypertension, current smoking, statin use, and type 2 diabetes (respectively, β -0.055 and β 0.035, both P > 0.05). Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that only VAT was associated with normalized MTR peak height in gray and white matter (both P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that increased abdominal VAT rather than SAT is associated with microstructural brain tissue damage in elderly individuals.
Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Ralph L
RL
Widya
Lucia J M
LJ
Kroft
Irmhild
I
Altmann-Schneider
Annette A
AA
van den Berg-Huysmans
Noortje
N
van der Bijl
Albert
A
de Roos
Hildo J
HJ
Lamb
Mark A
MA
van Buchem
P Eline
PE
Slagboom
Diana
D
van Heemst
Jeroen
J
van der Grond
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
D015415:Biomarkers