Maxime Le Floch1,2, Pauline Ali2,3, Marine Asfar1,2, Dolores Sánchez-Rodríguez4, Mickaël Dinomais2,3, Cédric Annweiler1,2,5. 1. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Angers University Hospital, Angers University Memory Clinic, Research Center on Autonomy and Longevity, University of Angers, Angers, France. 2. School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Angers, Angers, France. 3. Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Laboratoire Angevin de Recherche en Ingénierie des Systèmes, Angers University Hospital, Université d'Angers, Angers, France. 4. Department of Public Health, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium. 5. Department of Medical Biophysics, Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Falls are frequent and severe in older adults, especially among those with cognitive impairments due to altered motor control. Which brain areas are affected among fallers remains yet not elucidated. The objective of this cross-sectional analysis was to determine whether the history of falls correlated with focal brain volume reductions in older adults. METHODS: Participants from the MERE study (n = 208; mean, 71.9 ± 5.9 years; 43% female; 38% cognitively healthy, 41% with mild cognitive impairment and 21% with dementia) were asked about their history of falls over the preceding year and received a 1.5-Tesla MRI scan of the brain. Cortical gray and white matter subvolumes were automatically segmented using Statistical Parametric Mapping. Age, gender, use of psychoactive drugs, cognitive status, and total intracranial volume were used as covariates. RESULTS: Fifty-eight participants (28%) reported history of falls. Fallers were older (P = 0.001), used more often psychoactive drugs (P = 0.008) and had more often dementia (P = 0.004) compared to non-fallers. After adjustment, we found correlations between the history of falls and brain subvolumes; fallers exhibiting larger gray matter subvolumes in striatum, principally in bilateral caudate nucleus, than non-fallers. By stratifying on cognitive status, these neuroanatomical correlates were retrieved only in participants with MCI or dementia. There were no correlations with the subvolumes of white matter. CONCLUSION: Older fallers had larger subvolumes in bilateral striatum than non-fallers, principally within the caudate nucleus. This suggests a possible brain adaptative mechanism of falls in people with neurocognitive decline.
BACKGROUND: Falls are frequent and severe in older adults, especially among those with cognitive impairments due to altered motor control. Which brain areas are affected among fallers remains yet not elucidated. The objective of this cross-sectional analysis was to determine whether the history of falls correlated with focal brain volume reductions in older adults. METHODS: Participants from the MERE study (n = 208; mean, 71.9 ± 5.9 years; 43% female; 38% cognitively healthy, 41% with mild cognitive impairment and 21% with dementia) were asked about their history of falls over the preceding year and received a 1.5-Tesla MRI scan of the brain. Cortical gray and white matter subvolumes were automatically segmented using Statistical Parametric Mapping. Age, gender, use of psychoactive drugs, cognitive status, and total intracranial volume were used as covariates. RESULTS: Fifty-eight participants (28%) reported history of falls. Fallers were older (P = 0.001), used more often psychoactive drugs (P = 0.008) and had more often dementia (P = 0.004) compared to non-fallers. After adjustment, we found correlations between the history of falls and brain subvolumes; fallers exhibiting larger gray matter subvolumes in striatum, principally in bilateral caudate nucleus, than non-fallers. By stratifying on cognitive status, these neuroanatomical correlates were retrieved only in participants with MCI or dementia. There were no correlations with the subvolumes of white matter. CONCLUSION: Older fallers had larger subvolumes in bilateral striatum than non-fallers, principally within the caudate nucleus. This suggests a possible brain adaptative mechanism of falls in people with neurocognitive decline.
Authors: Cédric Annweiler; Olivier Beauchet; Robert Bartha; Jennie L Wells; Michael J Borrie; Vladimir Hachinski; Manuel Montero-Odasso Journal: Brain Date: 2013-03 Impact factor: 13.501
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