Home › Research › Risk factors
Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with altered cortical organization
Apoorva Safai, Sterling C. Johnson, Erin McMullen Jonaitis, Rebecca E. Langhough, W. Ryan Powell, William R. Buckingham, Barbara B. Bendlin, Amy Kind et al.. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2024-12-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Abstract Background Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with worse health and cognitive outcomes. Result ADI rank showed negative association with category fluency(CF)(β=‐0.176, p=0.039), WAIS‐DigitSymbol(β=‐0.442, p=0.011), Wechler’s Memory scale(WMS‐LM)(β=‐0.218, p=0.001) and PACC scores (β=‐0.056, p=0.001), indicating worse cognitive function among those living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods. Conclusion Our findings suggest differences in local cortical organization by neighborhood disadvantage, which also mediated the relationship between ADI and cognitive performance, providing a possible network‐based mechanism, explaining risk for cognitive decline and dementia associated with disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Key findings
- Abstract Background Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with worse health and cognitive outcomes.
- Result ADI rank showed negative association with category fluency(CF)(β=‐0.176, p=0.039), WAIS‐DigitSymbol(β=‐0.442, p=0.011), Wechler’s Memory scale(WMS‐LM)(β=‐0.218, p=0.001) and PACC scores (β=‐0.056, p=0.001), indicating worse cognitive function among those living in more disadvantaged neighborhoods.
- Conclusion Our findings suggest differences in local cortical organization by neighborhood disadvantage, which also mediated the relationship between ADI and cognitive performance, providing a possible network‐based mechanism, explaining risk for cognitive decline and dementia associated with disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Why it matters
This study found that people in more disadvantaged neighborhoods had worse cognitive test scores, and suggested differences in brain organization may explain the link. It does not test any treatment, cure, or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Risk factors, ranked →
Study details
- Participants526
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 36/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| 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 | 2024 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 526 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 | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 4 year(s) since 2024 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Pallavi Tiwari: h-index 27 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Wisconsin–Madison: institution h-index 1,518 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 36 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Safai, A., Johnson, S. C., Jonaitis, E. M., Langhough, R. E., Powell, W. R., Buckingham, W. R., et al. (2024). Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with altered cortical organization. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.091509
Vancouver
Safai A, Johnson SC, Jonaitis EM, Langhough RE, Powell WR, Buckingham WR, et al. Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with altered cortical organization. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2024. doi:10.1002/alz.091509.
BibTeX
@article{safai2024-c060cd95,
author = {Safai, Apoorva and Johnson, Sterling C. and Jonaitis, Erin McMullen and Langhough, Rebecca E. and Powell, W. Ryan and Buckingham, William R. and Bendlin, Barbara B. and Kind, Amy and others},
title = {{Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with altered cortical organization}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1002/alz.091509},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.091509}
}