title: Association of Coffee Consumption with MRI Markers and Cognitive Function: A Population-Based Study.
abstract: Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide and has been of considerable interest in research on cognition and dementia.
  
  
  
  To investigate the effect of coffee on preclinical brain MRI markers of dementia and cognitive performance.
  
  
  
  In 2,914 participants from the population-based Rotterdam Study (mean age: 59.3±7.2 years, 55% females), we assessed coffee consumption, performed brain MRI, and assessed cognition at baseline. To study cognitive change, cognitive assessment was repeated after 5 years of follow-up. Coffee consumption was analyzed continuously (per cup increase) and in categories (0-1, >1-3, >3 cups/day). Using logistic and linear regression, associations of coffee consumption with lacunar infarcts and brain tissue volumes on MRI, and cognitive performance (cross-sectional and longitudinal) were investigated, adjusting for relevant confounders.
  
  
  
  We found that higher coffee consumption was associated with a lower prevalence of lacunar infarcts [odds ratio per cup increase: 0.88 (95% CI:0.79;0.98)], and smaller hippocampal volume [difference: -0.01 (95% CI:-0.02;0.00)]. Also, we found that the highest category of coffee consumption was associated with better performance on the Letter Digit Substitution Task [difference: 1.13(95% CI:0.39;1.88)], Word Fluency test [0.74(95% CI:0.04,1.45)], Stroop interference task [1.82(95% CI:0.23;3.41)], and worse performance on the 15-Word Learning test delayed recall [-0.38(95% CI:-0.74;-0.02)]. These associations were not found when cognition was analyzed longitudinally.
  
  
  
  We found complex associations between coffee consumption, brain structure, and cognition. Higher coffee consumption was cross-sectionally associated with a lower occurrence of lacunar infarcts and better executive function, but also with smaller hippocampal volume and worse memory function.
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Epidemiology on Chronic and Occupational Diseases (GERMINAL), Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil.|Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Larissa Fortunato
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Saira Saeed
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Mirza
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Radiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Imaging Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wiro J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Niessen
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Epidemiology on Chronic and Occupational Diseases (GERMINAL), Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sandhi Maria
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Barreto
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Aad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van der Lugt
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Radiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Meike W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Vernooij
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tiemeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Radiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M Arfan
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ikram
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001628:Beverages; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects; D003069:Coffee / Q000378:metabolism*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018672:Community Health Planning; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D003069:Coffee
keywords: Brain imaging; MRI; brain tissue; coffee consumption; cognitive function; epidemiology