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Brain volume decline in aging: evidence for a relation between socioeconomic status, preclinical Alzheimer disease, and reserve
Fotenos AF, Mintun MA, Snyder AZ, Morris JC, Buckner RL.. Archives of neurology, 2008-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To assess the relation between socioeconomic status (SES) and structural brain change in nondemented older adults and to ascertain the potential role of preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD). Design Cross-sectional and longitudinal observation. Setting Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, St Louis, Missouri. Participants Volunteer sample of 362 nondemented adults aged 18 to 93 years. The main cohort of 100 was evaluated for dementia and SES; a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) of 0 (no dementia) and middle, high-middle, or high SES was required for eligibility. All 362 received magnetic resonance imaging; of the main 100, 91 received follow-up clinical assessment, and 33 received follow-up magnetic resonance imaging over at least a 3-year interval. A separate sample of 58 CDR 0 participants (aged 47 to 86 years) took part in amyloid imaging with Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) labeled with radioactive carbon ((11)C). Main outcome measures Whole-brain volume adjusted for head size (aWBV) and change per year. Results aWBV declined by 0.22% per year between the ages of 20 and 80 years with accelerated decline in advanced aging. Controlling for effects of age and sex in older adults (>65 years) with CDR 0, higher SES was associated with smaller aWBV (3.8% difference spanning the sample range from middle to high privilege, P Conclusions Privileged nondemented older adults harbor more preclinical brain atrophy, consistent with their having greater reserve against the expression of AD.
Key findings
- Results aWBV declined by 0.22% per year between the ages of 20 and 80 years with accelerated decline in advanced aging.
- Controlling for effects of age and sex in older adults (>65 years) with CDR 0, higher SES was associated with smaller aWBV (3.8% difference spanning the sample range from middle to high privilege, P< .01) and more rapid volume loss (0.39% per year to 0.68% per year from middle to high privilege, P< .05). aWBV was reduced by 2.5% in individuals positive for PiB binding (n=9) as compared with individuals negative for PiB binding (n=49, P< .05), supporting an influence of undetected preclinical AD.
Why it matters
This observational study found that higher socioeconomic status in nondemented older adults was linked to smaller whole-brain volume, which the authors interpret as more preclinical brain atrophy. It does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention, so it offers no direct guidance for those goals.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Effect size0.22%; 3.8%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 55/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Archives of Neurology: journal h-index 353 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2008 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 226 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.3 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 13 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 22 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Randy L. Buckner: h-index 150 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 18195148) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 55 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Fotenos, A. F., Mintun, M. A., Snyder, A. Z., Morris, J. C., & Buckner, R. L. (2008). Brain volume decline in aging: evidence for a relation between socioeconomic status, preclinical Alzheimer disease, and reserve. Archives of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2007.27
Vancouver
Fotenos AF, Mintun MA, Snyder AZ, Morris JC, Buckner RL. Brain volume decline in aging: evidence for a relation between socioeconomic status, preclinical Alzheimer disease, and reserve. Archives of neurology. 2008. doi:10.1001/archneurol.2007.27. PMID: 18195148.
BibTeX
@article{fotenos2008-18195148,
author = {Fotenos, A. F. and Mintun, M. A. and Snyder, A. Z. and Morris, J. C. and Buckner, R. L.},
title = {{Brain volume decline in aging: evidence for a relation between socioeconomic status, preclinical Alzheimer disease, and reserve}},
journal = {Archives of neurology},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1001/archneurol.2007.27},
pmid = {18195148},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archneurol.2007.27}
}
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