Cardiovascular
Cardiovascular health is positively associated with a higher total whole brain cortical volume in US adolescents – ABCD Study Augusto César F. De Moraes* Augusto César Ferreira De Moraes Marcus Vinicius Nascimento-Ferreira Ethan H. Hunt John Virostko Susan S. Tapert Harold W. Kohl
Aim: This study aimed to test the associations of components of cardiovascular health with brain health development in US adolescents.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis from 2nd year follow-up of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. We included adolescents aged 11 to 12 years old recruited in 21 US cities with complete questionnaire data for dietary intake, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health; health evaluation for body mass index, blood lipids, glycated hemoglobin, or blood pressure; and covariate data. Exposure – cardiovascular health: Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) includes eight cardiovascular health components: healthy diet, participation in physical activity, avoidance of nicotine, restorative sleep, healthy weight, and healthy levels of blood lipids, glycated blood hemoglobin, and blood pressure. Each metric has a scoring algorithm ranging from 0 to 100 points, allowing the generation of a composite cardiovascular health score that varies from 0 to 100 points. Outcome – brain development indicators: mean cortical thickness, total whole brain cortical volume in mm2 and mm3, measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging.
Results: A total of 978 individuals were analyzed. The mean (SD) age was 11.9 (0.2) years; 44.9% were girls, 53.4% were White, and 62.6% of parents had at least a college degree. Sleep health LE8 score was directly associated with total whole brain cortical area in mm3 (β = 294.9; CI 95%, 82.8–506.9) and mm2 β = 94.2; CI 95%, 24.7–163.7). The BMI LE8 score was directly associated with mean cortical thickness (β = 0.008; CI 95%, 0.004–0.011). Individuals with more favorable cardiovascular health behaviors showed total whole brain cortical area in mm3 (β = 365; CI 95%, 36.6–693.4) and mean cortical thickness. LE8 overall scores were directly associated with total whole brain cortical area in mm3 (β = 738.5; CI 95%, 247.9–1,229.2) and mean cortical thickness in mm3 (β = 0.0015; CI 95%, 0.006–0 .0023).
Conclusions: Adequate sleep, healthy height, cardiovascular health behaviors, and overall cardiovascular health were directly linked to higher total whole brain cortical volume in US adolescents, supporting potential public health advances to promote these behaviors for their potential benefits to brain development.