title: Neck Circumference, Brain Imaging Measures, and Neuropsychological Testing Measures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Perivascular fat may have direct effects on local vascularity. Neck fat is associated with carotid intimal thickness, a predictor of brain aging outcomes. This study investigated whether neck circumference, an estimation of neck fat, has unique associations with brain aging outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample (n = 2082, 53.5% women, mean age 60.9 years) was derived from Framingham Heart Study participants with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological (NP) test measures. Multivariable-adjusted regressions examined cross-sectional associations of neck circumference with brain MRI and NP test measures. Models were also constructed with waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) as exposures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 1 standard deviation (2.8 cm [women]; 2.9 cm [men]) increment in neck circumference was associated with lower total cerebral brain volume (β = -.22, P = .0006) and lower frontal brain volume (β = -.55, P < .0001). However, a similar association was observed for both waist circumference and BMI. There were no associations between neck circumference and NP test measures after full covariate adjustment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were no unique associations between neck circumference and brain MRI or NP measures. Consistent with prior observations, all adiposity measures showed associations with more adverse brain MRI and NP measures, suggesting a global association of generalized adiposity.
authors.affiliation: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Massachusetts; Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Therkelsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Sarah R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Preis
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Alexa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beiser
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, California.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: DeCarli
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Sudha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seshadri
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Rhoda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Au
authors.affiliation: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Massachusetts; Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: foxca@nhlbi.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Caroline S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Fox
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009333:Neck / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D055105:Waist Circumference
keywords: Epidemiology; adiposity; cognition; population studies