부산대학교 도서관

Background:Neurodegenerative changes and vascular damage of the brain are a common ageing phenomenon. This study aimed to determine whether the phenotype of familial longevity is marked by a relative preservation of brain tissue (micro)structure.Methods:Participants were recruited from the Leiden Longevity Study. In total, 194 elderly offspring of nonagenarian siblings, who are enriched for familial factors of longevity, were contrasted with 176 environment and age-matched controls. All subjects underwent three Tesla MRI of the brain to study structural differences between both groups as a potential manifestation of genetically driven differences in biological age.Results:No differences in whole brain, gray matter and white matter volume were found between offspring and control subjects. Left amygdalar volume of the offspring was larger compared with control subjects, but amygdalar volumes were not associated with chronological age in both groups. Concerning the presence of white matter lesions, offspring were less likely to have severe periventricular frontal caps and severe periventricular bands. Moreover, offspring were less likely to have frontal, temporal, and occipital subcortical white matter lesions. Prevalence of lacunar infarcts also was lower in offspring. Prevalence of microbleeds was not different between offspring and control subjects. Diffusion tensor imaging showed that offspring had relatively preserved white matter integrity when compared to control subjects, which was predominantly located in the callosal genu and, body and partly splenium.Conclusions:Familial longevity is associated with preserved (micro)structure of predominantly the white matter. Future research needs to focus on how to translate this knowledge to the general population to make everybody live ‘healthier for longer.