The effect of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression in mild cognitive impairment
Abstract Introduction Both elevated cortisol and hippocampal volume have been linked to an increased risk for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This longitudinal study assessed the effects of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression rates in patients with mild...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12463 |
| _version_ | 1797672414355652608 |
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| author | Silke White René Mauer Catharina Lange Olga Klimecki Willem Huijbers Miranka Wirth for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative |
| author_facet | Silke White René Mauer Catharina Lange Olga Klimecki Willem Huijbers Miranka Wirth for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative |
| author_sort | Silke White |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction Both elevated cortisol and hippocampal volume have been linked to an increased risk for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This longitudinal study assessed the effects of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression rates in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods Patients with amnestic MCI (n = 304) were selected from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) based on availability of baseline plasma cortisol and hippocampal volume measures, assessed at baseline and during follow‐ups. We investigated associations between plasma cortisol, hippocampal volume, and risk of clinical progression to AD over a study period of up to 100 months (mean follow‐up time 36.8 months) using linear mixed models, Cox proportional hazards models, and Kaplan‐Meier estimators. Results Plasma cortisol predicted greater hippocampal atrophy, such that participants with higher cortisol showed faster decline in hippocampal volume over time (interaction: β = ‐0.15, p = 0.004). Small hippocampal volume predicted a higher risk of clinical progression to AD (haard ratio [HR] = 2.15; confidence in terval [CI], 1.64–2.80; p < 0.001). A similar effect was not found for cortisol (HR = 1.206; CI, 0.82–1.37; p = 0.670) and there was no statistical evidence for an interaction between hippocampal volume and cortisol on clinical progression (HR = 0.81; CI, 0.57–0.17; p = 0.260). Discussion Our findings suggest that higher cortisol predicts higher hippocampal atrophy, which in turn is a risk factor for progression to AD. Regulation of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis through stress‐reducing lifestyle interventions might be a protective factor against hippocampal degeneration at the prodromal stage of AD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:29:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d94e199660246ee8775f780d16360fd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2352-8729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:29:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d94e199660246ee8775f780d16360fd2023-09-27T11:20:33ZengWileyAlzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring2352-87292023-07-01153n/an/a10.1002/dad2.12463The effect of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression in mild cognitive impairmentSilke White0René Mauer1Catharina Lange2Olga Klimecki3Willem Huijbers4Miranka Wirth5for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging InitiativeGerman Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) DresdenSaxonyGermanyInstitute for Medical Informatics and Biometry Faculty of Medicine Dresden University of Technology DresdenSaxonyGermanyDepartment of Nuclear Medicine Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin BerlinGermanyGerman Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) DresdenSaxonyGermanyBiogen Digital Health Biogen CambridgeMassachusettsUSAGerman Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) DresdenSaxonyGermanyAbstract Introduction Both elevated cortisol and hippocampal volume have been linked to an increased risk for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This longitudinal study assessed the effects of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression rates in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods Patients with amnestic MCI (n = 304) were selected from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) based on availability of baseline plasma cortisol and hippocampal volume measures, assessed at baseline and during follow‐ups. We investigated associations between plasma cortisol, hippocampal volume, and risk of clinical progression to AD over a study period of up to 100 months (mean follow‐up time 36.8 months) using linear mixed models, Cox proportional hazards models, and Kaplan‐Meier estimators. Results Plasma cortisol predicted greater hippocampal atrophy, such that participants with higher cortisol showed faster decline in hippocampal volume over time (interaction: β = ‐0.15, p = 0.004). Small hippocampal volume predicted a higher risk of clinical progression to AD (haard ratio [HR] = 2.15; confidence in terval [CI], 1.64–2.80; p < 0.001). A similar effect was not found for cortisol (HR = 1.206; CI, 0.82–1.37; p = 0.670) and there was no statistical evidence for an interaction between hippocampal volume and cortisol on clinical progression (HR = 0.81; CI, 0.57–0.17; p = 0.260). Discussion Our findings suggest that higher cortisol predicts higher hippocampal atrophy, which in turn is a risk factor for progression to AD. Regulation of the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis through stress‐reducing lifestyle interventions might be a protective factor against hippocampal degeneration at the prodromal stage of AD.https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12463ADNIcortisolhippocampushypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axisMCIneurodegeneration |
| spellingShingle | Silke White René Mauer Catharina Lange Olga Klimecki Willem Huijbers Miranka Wirth for the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative The effect of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression in mild cognitive impairment Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring ADNI cortisol hippocampus hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis MCI neurodegeneration |
| title | The effect of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression in mild cognitive impairment |
| title_full | The effect of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression in mild cognitive impairment |
| title_fullStr | The effect of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression in mild cognitive impairment |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression in mild cognitive impairment |
| title_short | The effect of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression in mild cognitive impairment |
| title_sort | effect of plasma cortisol on hippocampal atrophy and clinical progression in mild cognitive impairment |
| topic | ADNI cortisol hippocampus hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis MCI neurodegeneration |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/dad2.12463 |
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