title: A culture-brain link: Negative age stereotypes predict Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.
abstract: Although negative age stereotypes have been found to predict adverse outcomes among older individuals, it was unknown whether the influence of stereotypes extends to brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease. To consider this possibility, we drew on dementia-free participants, in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, whose age stereotypes were assessed decades before yearly magnetic resonance images and brain autopsies were performed. Those holding more-negative age stereotypes earlier in life had significantly steeper hippocampal-volume loss and significantly greater accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, adjusting for relevant covariates. These findings suggest a new pathway to identifying mechanisms and potential interventions related to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, School of Public Health, Yale University.
authors.forename: Becca R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Longitudinal Studies Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Gerontology Research Center, National Institute on Aging.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging.
authors.forename: Alan B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Zonderman
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University.
authors.forename: Martin D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Slade
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology and Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medical School.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Troncoso
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Resnick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001290:Attitude; D001344:Autopsy; D015142:Baltimore; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000473:pathology; D000067657:Pessimism; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000473:pathology; D013240:Stereotyping
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers