Association Between Leptin, Cognition, and Structural Brain Measures Among “Early” Middle-Aged Adults: Results from the Framingham Heart Study Third Generation Cohort

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Sanborn, Victoria^{a; 1} | Preis, Sarah R.^{b; c; 1} | Ang, Alvin^b | Devine, Sherral^{b; d} | Mez, Jesse^{b; d; e} | DeCarli, Charles^f | Au, Rhoda^{b; d; e; g; h} | Alosco, Michael L.^{d; e; 1} | Gunstad, John^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA | [b] Framingham Heart Study, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA | [c] Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA | [d] Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA | [e] Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Boston University CTE Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA | [f] Department of Neurology, University of California at Davis Health System, Sacramento, CA, USA | [g] Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA | [h] Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

Correspondence: [*] John Gunstad, PhD, 144 Kent Hall, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242; Tel.: +1 330 672 2589; jgunstad@kent.edu

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Background:There is growing interest in the pathophysiological processes of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including the potential role of leptin. Human studies have shown that both low and high levels of leptin can be associated with worse neurocognitive outcomes, suggesting this relationship may be moderated by another risk factor. Objective:We examined the association between plasma leptin levels and both neuropsychological test performance and structural neuroimaging and assessed whether body mass index (BMI) is an effect modifier of these associations. Methods:Our study sample consisted of 2,223 adults from the Framingham Heart Study Third Generation Cohort (average age = 40 years, 53% women). Results:Among the entire sample, there was no association between leptin and any of the neuropsychological domain measures or any of the MRI brain volume measures, after adjustment for BMI, APOE4, and other clinical factors. However, we did observe that BMI category was an effect modifier for the association between leptin and verbal memory (p for interaction = 0.03), where higher levels of leptin were associated with better performance among normal weight participants (BMI 18.5–24.9) kg/m2 (beta = 0.12, p = 0.02). No association was observed between leptin level and verbal memory test performance among participants who were overweight or obese. Conclusion:These findings suggest that the association between leptin and cognitive function is moderated by BMI category. Prospective examination of individuals transitioning from middle age to older adulthood will help to clarify the contribution of leptin to AD and other neurodegenerative conditions.

Keywords: Aging, Alzheimer’s disease, cognition, leptin, neuroimaging, obesity

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-191247

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 77, no. 3, pp. 1279-1289, 2020