title: Association between waist circumference and gray matter volume in 2344 individuals from two adult community-based samples.
abstract: We analyzed the putative association between abdominal obesity (measured in waist circumference) and gray matter volume (Study of Health in Pomerania: SHIP-2, N=758) adjusted for age and gender by applying volumetric analysis and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) with VBM8 to brain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. We sought replication in a second, independent population sample (SHIP-TREND, N=1586). In a combined analysis (SHIP-2 and SHIP-TREND) we investigated the impact of hypertension, type II diabetes and blood lipids on the association between waist circumference and gray matter. Volumetric analysis revealed a significant inverse association between waist circumference and gray matter volume. VBM in SHIP-2 indicated distinct inverse associations in the following structures for both hemispheres: frontal lobe, temporal lobes, pre- and postcentral gyrus, supplementary motor area, supramarginal gyrus, insula, cingulate gyrus, caudate nucleus, olfactory sulcus, para-/hippocampus, gyrus rectus, amygdala, globus pallidus, putamen, cerebellum, fusiform and lingual gyrus, (pre-) cuneus and thalamus. These areas were replicated in SHIP-TREND. More than 76% of the voxels with significant gray matter volume reduction in SHIP-2 were also distinct in TREND. These brain areas are involved in cognition, attention to interoceptive signals as satiety or reward and control food intake. Due to our cross-sectional design we cannot clarify the causal direction of the association. However, previous studies described an association between subjects with higher waist circumference and future cognitive decline suggesting a progressive brain alteration in obese subjects. Pathomechanisms may involve chronic inflammation, increased oxidative stress or cellular autophagy associated with obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: janowitz@uni-greifswald.de.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Janowitz
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases DZNE, Site Rostock/Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wittfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, HELIOS Hospital Stralsund, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Terock
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, HELIOS Hospital Stralsund, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald Jürgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Freyberger
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hegenscheid
authors.affiliation: Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Völzke
authors.affiliation: Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany; Section of Biomedical Image Analysis, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Habes
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hosten
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Nele
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Friedrich
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nauck
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Grazyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Domanska
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases DZNE, Site Rostock/Greifswald, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald, HELIOS Hospital Stralsund, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans Jörgen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Grabe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference