Association of Coffee Consumption with MRI Markers and Cognitive Function: A Population-Based Study

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Araújo, Larissa Fortunato^{a; b} | Mirza, Saira Saeed^b | Bos, Daniel^{b; c} | Niessen, Wiro J.^{c; d} | Barreto, Sandhi Maria^a | van der Lugt, Aad^c | Vernooij, Meike W.^{b; c} | Hofman, Albert^b | Tiemeier, Henning^{b; e; f} | Ikram, M. Arfan^{b; c; g; *}

Affiliations: [a] Research Group on Epidemiology on Chronic and Occupational Diseases (GERMINAL), Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil | [b] Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands | [c] Department of Radiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands | [d] Imaging Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands | [e] Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands | [f] Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands | [g] Department of Neurology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Dr. M. Arfan Ikram, Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, PO Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 10 7043930; E-mail: m.a.ikram@erasmusmc.nl.

Abstract: Background: Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide and has been of considerable interest in research on cognition and dementia. Objective: To investigate the effect of coffee on preclinical brain MRI markers of dementia and cognitive performance. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: Brain imaging, brain tissue, coffee consumption, cognitive function, epidemiology, MRI

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-160116

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 53, no. 2, pp. 451-461, 2016