Journal article
Neighborhood environment associations with cognitive function and structural brain measures in older African Americans
BMC medicine, v 23(1), p15
13 Jan 2025
PMID: 39800688
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Since older adults spend significant time in their neighborhood environment, environmental factors such as neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, high racial segregation, low healthy food availability, low access to recreation, and minimal social engagement may have adverse effects on cognitive function and increase susceptibility to dementia. DNA methylation, which is associated with neighborhood characteristics as well as cognitive function and white matter hyperintensity (WMH), may act as a mediator between neighborhood characteristics and neurocognitive outcomes.
In this study, we examined whether DNA methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes mediates the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function (N = 542) or WMH (N = 466) in older African American (AA) participants without preliminary evidence of dementia from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA).
For a 1-mile buffer around a participant's residence, each additional fast food destination or unfavorable food store with alcohol per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.05 (95%CI: 0.01, 0.09) and a 0.04 (0.00, 0.08) second improvement in visual conceptual tracking score, respectively. Also, each additional alcohol drinking place per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.62 (0.05, 1.19) word increase in delayed recall score, indicating better memory function (all p < 0.05). Neighborhood characteristics were not associated with WMH. We did not find evidence that DNA methylation mediates the observed associations between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function.
The presence of fast food destinations and unfavorable food stores with alcohol was associated cognitive measures, possibly due to greater social interaction provided in these venues. However, replication of these findings is necessary. Further examination of the potential pathways between the neighborhood environment and cognitive function/WMH may allow the development of potential behavioral, infrastructural, and pharmaceutical interventions to facilitate aging in place and healthy brain aging in older adults, especially in marginal populations that are most at risk.
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Details
- Title
- Neighborhood environment associations with cognitive function and structural brain measures in older African Americans
- Creators
- Dima L Chaar - University of Michigan–Ann ArborLe Tu - University of Mississippi Medical CenterKari Moore - Urban Health Collaborative, Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USAJiacong Du - University of Michigan–Ann ArborLauren A Opsasnick - University of Michigan–Ann ArborScott M Ratliff - University of Michigan–Ann ArborThomas H Mosley - University of Mississippi Medical CenterSharon L R Kardia - University of Michigan–Ann ArborWei Zhao - University of Michigan–Ann ArborXiang Zhou - University of Michigan–Ann ArborAna V Diez Roux - Urban Health Collaborative, Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USAFazlay S Faruque - University of Mississippi Medical CenterKenneth R Butler - University of Mississippi Medical CenterJennifer A Smith - University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
- Publication Details
- BMC medicine, v 23(1), p15
- Publisher
- BMC; LONDON
- Number of pages
- 20
- Grant note
- R01NS041558 / NINDS NIH HHS R01HL087660 / NHLBI NIH HHS R01HL119443 / NHLBI NIH HHS U01HL054457 / NHLBI NIH HHS RC1HL100185 / NHLBI NIH HHS R01HL133221 / NHLBI NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001397124500001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85215352092
- Other Identifier
- 991022018791004721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health