- Population study of 675 seventy-year-olds assessing polygenic longevity scores and multiple MRI outcomes including grey matter, white matter, WM hyperintensities, cortical thickness.
- No associations between polygenic longevity scores and MRI measures were found in the total sample after adjustments and multiple comparisons correction.
- In males, both scores associated with smaller WMH volume, lower small vessel disease burden, and thicker cortex in pars triangularis, pars opercularis and insula.
NPJ Aging. 2026 Oct 15;12(1):144. doi: 10.1038/s41514-026-00546-8.
ABSTRACT
Population-based studies on the relation between polygenic longevity scores (PGLSs) and specific brain regions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are few. We aimed to investigate this relationship in a population of 70-year-olds from Gothenburg, Sweden (N = 675). We constructed two PGLSs (one with and one without the APOE locus) using longevity GWAS summary statistics. MRI outcomes included total grey matter, white matter (WM), WM hyperintensities (WMHs), subcortical volumes, small vessel disease (SVD) score, cortical thicknesses, and fractional anisotropy (FA) fibre tracts. We adjusted for sex, age, principal components, and sex interactions, and corrected for multiple comparisons. We found no associations in the total sample. In males, both PGLSs were associated with smaller WMHs volume and lower SVD burden, and a thicker cortex of pars triangularis, pars opercularis, and insula. Our findings suggest a possible link between genetic propensity for longevity and lower cerebrovascular burden and certain cortical grey matter areas in males.
PMID:42881202 | DOI:10.1038/s41514-026-00546-8
Share Evidence Blueprint
Save to Google Notes
Search Google Scholar
Save as PDF
⭐ My Revision List
