Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Apr-Jun;24(2):190-3.
doi: 10.1097/WAD.0b013e3181c1ed44.

Profiles by sex of brain MRI and cognitive function in the framingham offspring study

Mark Albert  1 , Joseph Massaro, Charles DeCarli, Alexa Beiser, Sudha Seshadri, Philip A Wolf, Rhoda Au
Affiliations

Profiles by sex of brain MRI and cognitive function in the framingham offspring study

Mark Albert et al. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2010 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether there are sex-specific associations between brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures and neuropsychologic (NP) test performance.

Background: Differences in cardiovascular risk factors have been linked to decreased total cerebral brain volume and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). Although brain morphology has been related to cognitive performance, few studies have addressed sex-specific effects in this relationship.

Methods: Framingham Offspring who were stroke and dementia-free underwent a brain MRI scan and NP testing (n=2085; 978 men). Factor analysis identified 4 domain-specific NP factors. MRI participants were divided into 4 MRI subgroups based on measures of total cerebral brain volume and combinations of the presence of WMH and silent cerebral infarcts (> or =3 mm).

Results: Overall, the relationship between MRI and NP measures was similar between the sexes. The exception was that only men showed a positive relationship between executive function and cerebrovascular disease defined as large WMH volume plus silent cerebral infarct. This finding was attributed only among men with Framingham Stroke Risk Profile scores >90th percentile range (P=0.0019).

Conclusions: Measures of brain atrophy and subclinical markers of vascular disease showed that sex does not significantly alter the relationship between MRI and NP, except among men and women who are at high risk for stroke; these men show poorer performance on executive function, whereas the women do not.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Seshadri S, Wolf PA, Beiser A, Elias MF, White R, Au R, Kase CS, D’Agostino RB, DeCarli C. Stroke Risk Profile, Brain Volume and Cognitive Function: The Framingham Offspring Study. Neurology. 2004;63:1591–1599. - PubMed
    1. DeGroot JC, DeLeeuw FE, Oudkerk M, Van Gijn J, Hofman A, Jolles J, Breteler MM. Cerebral white matter lesions and cognitive function: The Rotterdam Scan Study. Ann Neurol. 2000;47:145–151. - PubMed
    1. Breteler MM, Van Swieten JC, Bots ML, Grobbee DE, Claus JJ, Van den Hout JH, Van Harskamp F, Tanghe HL, De Jong PT, Van Gijn J. Cerebral white matter lesions, vascular risk factors, and cognitive function in a population-based study: The Rotterdam Study. Neurology. 1994;44:1246–1252. - PubMed
    1. Longstreth WT, Manolio TA, Arnold A, Burke GL, Bryan N, Jungreis CA, Enright PL, O’Leary D, Fried L. Clinical correlates of white matter findings on cranial magnetic resonance imaging of 3301 elderly people: the cardiovascular health study. Stroke. 1996;27:1274–1282. - PubMed
    1. Kuller LH, Shemanski L, Manolio TA, Haan M, Fried L, Bryan N, Burke GL, Tracy R, Bhadelia R. Relationship between apoE, MRI findings, and cognitive function in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Stroke. 1998;29:388–398. - PubMed

Publication types