Body Mass Index and Neuronal Viability in Healthy Cognitively Normal Elderly- A Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study

Stefan Gazdzinski¹, Rachel Millin¹, Lana Kaiser², Michael W. Weiner^1,2, Dieter J. Meyerhoff^1,2

Recent studies suggest that excessive body weight in otherwise healthy individuals is associated with brain structural alterations, poorer executive function, lower prefrontal neurometabolism, and as we have previously demonstrated, with widespread decreases in concentrations of N-acetyl-asparte (NAA, marker of neuronal viability), especially in frontal lobe. In this elderly cohort, we have demonstrated associations between higher body mass index (BMI) and lower NAA and glutamate (scaled to choline and creatine) in anterior cingulate cortex, a region involved in emotional regulation, impulse control, and goal directed behavior. Thus our results may point to mechanisms leading to development and maintenance of weight problems.