[en] OBJECTIVE: To determine if following a Mediterranean-like diet (MeDi) relates to cognitive functions and in vivo biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD), we analyzed cross-sectional data from the German Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study METHOD: The sample (n=512, mean age: 69.5±5.9 years) included 169 cognitively normal participants and subjects at higher AD risk (53 AD relatives, 209 SCD and 81 MCI). We defined MeDi adherence based on the Food Frequency Questionnaire. Brain volume outcomes were generated via voxel-based morphometry on T1-MRI and cognitive performance with an extensive neuropsychological battery. AD-related biomarkers (Aβ42/40 ratio, pTau181) in cerebrospinal fluid were assessed in n=226 individuals. We analyzed the associations between MeDi and the outcomes with linear regression models controlling for several covariates. Additionally, we applied hypothesis-driven mediation and moderation analysis.
RESULTS: Higher MeDi adherence related to larger mediotemporal gray matter volume (p<0.05 FWE corrected), better memory (β±SE = 0.03 ± 0.02; p=0.038), and less amyloid (Aβ42/40 ratio, β±SE = 0.003 ± 0.001; p=0.008) and pTau181 pathology (β±SE = -1.96±0.68; p=0.004). Mediotemporal volume mediated the association between MeDi and memory (40% indirect mediation). Finally, MeDi favorably moderated the associations between Aβ42/40 ratio, pTau181 and mediotemporal atrophy. Results were consistent correcting for ApoE-ε4 status.
CONCLUSION: Our findings corroborate the view of MeDi as a protective factor against memory decline and mediotemporal atrophy. Importantly, they suggest that these associations might be explained by a decrease of amyloidosis and tau-pathology. Longitudinal and dietary intervention studies should further examine this conjecture and its treatment implications.
Disciplines :
Neurology
Author, co-author :
Ballarini, Tommaso ; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany tommaso.ballarini@dzne.de
Melo van Lent, Debora; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany ; University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio: San Antonio, TX, US
Brunner, Julia; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Schröder, Alina; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Wolfsgruber, Steffen; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany ; Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Altenstein, Slawek; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Brosseron, Frederic ; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany ; Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Buerger, Katharina; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 17, 81377 Munich, Germany ; Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Feodor-LynenStrasse 17, 81377 Munich, Germany
Dechent, Peter; MR-Research in Neurology and Psychiatry, Georg-AugustUniversity Göttingen, Germany
Dobisch, Laura; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany ; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
Duzel, Emrah; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany ; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
Ertl-Wagner, Birgit; Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-MaximiliansUniversity, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377 Munich
Fliessbach, Klaus; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany ; Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Freiesleben, Silka Dawn; Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany
Frommann, Ingo ; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Glanz, Wenzel; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany
Hauser, Dietmar; Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany
Haynes, John Dylan; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
HENEKA, Michael ; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany ; Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Janowitz, Daniel; Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research (ISD), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 17, 81377 Munich, Germany
Kilimann, Ingo; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany ; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, 18147 Rostock
Laske, Christoph; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ; Section for Dementia Research, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Maier, Franziska; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924 Cologne, Germany
Metzger, Coraline Danielle; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany ; Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research (IKND), Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
Munk, Matthias; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany ; Section for Dementia Research, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Perneczky, Robert ; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE, Munich), Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 17, 81377 Munich, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany ; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy) Munich, Munich, Germany ; Ageing Epidemiology Research Unit (AGE), School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
Peters, Oliver; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany ; Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany
Priller, Josef; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Ramirez, Alfredo ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924 Cologne, Germany
Rauchmann, Boris; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
Roy, Nina; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Scheffler, Klaus ; Department for Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Schneider, Anja; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany ; Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Spottke, Annika; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany ; Department of Neurology, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Spruth, Eike Jakob; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Berlin, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Teipel, Stefan J; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Rostock, Germany ; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Gehlsheimer Str. 20, 18147 Rostock
Vukovich, Ruth; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen, University of Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075 Goettingen
Wiltfang, Jens; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen, University of Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, 37075 Goettingen ; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Goettingen, Germany ; Neurosciences and Signaling Group, Institute of Biomedicine (iBiMED ; Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Jessen, Frank; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924 Cologne, Germany ; Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Strasse 26, 50931Köln, Germany
Wagner, Michael ; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany ; Department of Neurodegeneration and Geriatric Psychiatry, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Study funded by the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (Deutsches zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen [DZNE]) and by the Diet Body Brain research cluster funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant 01EA1809C).
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