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Community Socioeconomic Disadvantage relates to White Matter Hyperintensity Burden in Mid-to-Late Life Adults
Marsland Anna L, Wu Minjie, DeCataldo Mia K, Aizenstein Howard J, Jinghang L, Ibrahim Tamer S, Manuck Stephen B, Gianaros Peter J. Biopsychosocial science and medicine, 2025-07-17
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Residing in communities characterized by socioeconomic disadvantage may confer risk for neurodegenerative brain changes and future neuropathology. Based on prior evidence, this study tested the hypotheses that (1) community-level disadvantage would relate independently of individual-level socioeconomic position to white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), which reflect subclinical brain pathology that may presage later dementia; and (2) this association would be partly explained by blood pressure, cardiometabolic risk, and/or systemic levels of inflammation. These hypotheses were examined among otherwise healthy middle- and older-aged adults without clinical dementia at testing. Participants were 388 adults aged 40-72 years (53% female; 12% non-White) whose street addresses were entered into the Neighborhood Atlas to compute Area Deprivation Index scores by census block. Participants also underwent high resolution (7 Tesla) brain imaging to assess total WMH volume normalized for intracranial volume, and assessment of blood pressure, cardiometabolic (adiposity, lipids, glucose and insulin), and inflammatory (interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein) risk factors. Linear regression models showed that higher community deprivation on the ADI associated with greater WMH volume, independently of age, sex, years of education and smoking. This association was largely independent of blood pressure, cardiometabolic risk and systemic inflammation. The present novel findings add to growing evidence that community disadvantage relates to preclinical neurodegenerative changes, which may contribute to accelerated brain and cognitive aging. Future work is warranted to better understand pathways that link residential environments to brain health and to identify targets for community and public policy interventions.
Key findings
- Linear regression models showed that higher community deprivation on the ADI associated with greater WMH volume, independently of age, sex, years of education and smoking.
Why it matters
In 388 middle- and older-aged adults without clinical dementia, higher community deprivation was associated with greater white matter hyperintensity volume, largely independent of blood pressure and other risk factors. This links social disadvantage to a marker of brain pathology but does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
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Study details
- Participants388
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 45/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 29 of the 64 points we could judge it on, which is 45 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Biopsychosocial science and medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 388 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41257402) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 29 / 64 | Scored on 12 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 29 of the 64 points we could judge it on is 45 out of 100. |
| Total | 45 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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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. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Marsland Anna, L., Minjie, W., DeCataldo Mia, K., Aizenstein Howard, J., Jinghang, L., Ibrahim Tamer, S., et al. (2025). Community Socioeconomic Disadvantage relates to White Matter Hyperintensity Burden in Mid-to-Late Life Adults. Biopsychosocial science and medicine. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.01.662674
Vancouver
Marsland Anna L, Minjie W, DeCataldo Mia K, Aizenstein Howard J, Jinghang L, Ibrahim Tamer S, et al. Community Socioeconomic Disadvantage relates to White Matter Hyperintensity Burden in Mid-to-Late Life Adults. Biopsychosocial science and medicine. 2025. doi:10.1101/2025.07.01.662674. PMID: 40672347.
BibTeX
@article{marslandanna2025-40672347,
author = {Marsland Anna, L. and Minjie, Wu and DeCataldo Mia, K. and Aizenstein Howard, J. and Jinghang, L. and Ibrahim Tamer, S. and Manuck Stephen, B. and Gianaros Peter, J.},
title = {{Community Socioeconomic Disadvantage relates to White Matter Hyperintensity Burden in Mid-to-Late Life Adults}},
journal = {Biopsychosocial science and medicine},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1101/2025.07.01.662674},
pmid = {40672347},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.01.662674}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 18.