Correlation between pulmonary function and brain volume in healthy elderly subjects

• Published in: Neuroradiology Vol. 55; no. 6; pp. 689 - 695
• Main Authors: Taki, Yasuyuki, Kinomura, Shigeo, Ebihara, Satoru, Thyreau, Benjamin, Sato, Kazunori, Goto, Ryoi, Kakizaki, Masako, Tsuji, Ichiro, Kawashima, Ryuta, Fukuda, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 01.06.2013; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cerebellum - anatomy & histology; Cerebellum - physiology; Correlation analysis; Diagnostic Neuroradiology; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Imaging; Japan - epidemiology; Male; Maximal Expiratory Flow Rate - physiology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Nerve Fibers, Myelinated - ultrastructure; Neurology; Neurons - cytology; Neuroradiology; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; Older people; Organ Size - physiology; Pulmonary arteries; Radiology; Statistics as Topic; Japan; DARTEL; Magnetic resonance imaging; Gray matter; Forced expiratory volume in one second percentage; Voxel-based morphometry
• ISSN: 0028-3940; 1432-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s00234-013-1157-6

Introduction Cigarette smoking decreases brain regional gray matter volume and is related to chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). COPD leads to decreased pulmonary function, which is represented by forced expiratory volume in one second percentage (FEV1.0 %); however, it is unclear if decreased pulmonary function is directly related to brain gray matter volume decline. Because there is a link between COPD and cognitive decline, revealing a direct relationship between pulmonary function and brain structure is important to better understand how pulmonary function affects brain structure and cognitive function. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze whether there were significant correlations between FEV1.0 % and brain regional gray and white matter volumes using brain magnetic resonance (MR) image data from 109 community-dwelling healthy elderly individuals. Methods Brain MR images were processed with voxel-based morphometry using a custom template by applying diffeomorphic anatomical registration using the exponentiated lie algebra procedure. Results We found a significant positive correlation between the regional white matter volume of the cerebellum and FEV1.0 % after adjusting for age, sex, and intracranial volume. Conclusion Our results suggest that elderly individuals who have a lower FEV1.0 % have decreased regional white matter volume in the cerebellum. Therefore, preventing decreased pulmonary function is important for cerebellar white matter volume in the healthy elderly population.