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Neighborhood environment associations with cognitive function and structural brain measures in older African Americans
Chaar Dima L, Tu Le, Moore Kari, Du Jiacong, Opsasnick Lauren A, Ratliff Scott M, Mosley Thomas H, Kardia Sharon L R et al.. BMC medicine, 2025-01-13
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Since older adults spend significant time in their neighborhood environment, environmental factors such as neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, high racial segregation, low healthy food availability, low access to recreation, and minimal social engagement may have adverse effects on cognitive function and increase susceptibility to dementia. DNA methylation, which is associated with neighborhood characteristics as well as cognitive function and white matter hyperintensity (WMH), may act as a mediator between neighborhood characteristics and neurocognitive outcomes. In this study, we examined whether DNA methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes mediates the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function (N = 542) or WMH (N = 466) in older African American (AA) participants without preliminary evidence of dementia from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA). For a 1-mile buffer around a participant's residence, each additional fast food destination or unfavorable food store with alcohol per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.05 (95%CI: 0.01, 0.09) and a 0.04 (0.00, 0.08) second improvement in visual conceptual tracking score, respectively. Also, each additional alcohol drinking place per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.62 (0.05, 1.19) word increase in delayed recall score, indicating better memory function (all p < 0.05). Neighborhood characteristics were not associated with WMH. We did not find evidence that DNA methylation mediates the observed associations between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function. The presence of fast food destinations and unfavorable food stores with alcohol was associated cognitive measures, possibly due to greater social interaction provided in these venues. However, replication of these findings is necessary. Further examination of the potential pathways between the neighborhood environment and cognitive function/WMH may allow the development of potential behavioral, infrastructural, and pharmaceutical interventions to facilitate aging in place and healthy brain aging in older adults, especially in marginal populations that are most at risk.
Key findings
- Since older adults spend significant time in their neighborhood environment, environmental factors such as neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, high racial segregation, low healthy food availability, low access to recreation, and minimal social engagement may have adverse effects on cognitive function and increase susceptibility to dementia.
- DNA methylation, which is associated with neighborhood characteristics as well as cognitive function and white matter hyperintensity (WMH), may act as a mediator between neighborhood characteristics and neurocognitive outcomes.
- For a 1-mile buffer around a participant's residence, each additional fast food destination or unfavorable food store with alcohol per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.05 (95%CI: 0.01, 0.09) and a 0.04 (0.00, 0.08) second improvement in visual conceptual tracking score, respectively.
- Also, each additional alcohol drinking place per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.62 (0.05, 1.19) word increase in delayed recall score, indicating better memory function (all p < 0.05).
- Neighborhood characteristics were not associated with WMH.
Why it matters
In 542 older African American adults without preliminary evidence of dementia, having more fast food outlets, alcohol-selling food stores or bars near home was nominally linked to slightly better scores on two cognitive tests. Neighbourhood features were not linked to white matter changes on brain scans, and blood DNA methylation did not explain the links. The authors say replication is necessary, and the study looked at no dementia outcome, so it says nothing about preventing or treating Alzheimer's.
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Study details
- Participants542
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 54/100
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 times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here and still being cited, so those were left out: it earned 39 of the 72 points we could judge it on, which is 54 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMC medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | BMC Medicine: journal h-index 259 (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 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 542 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 | Citation count not trusted: 42 of 48 library studies citing it were published more than a year before it - a sign OpenAlex merged several works under this DOI — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | Citation count not trusted (see above) — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | Citation count not trusted (see above) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Library citations not trusted (see above) — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | Citation count not trusted (see above) — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jennifer A. Smith: h-index 98 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Michigan: institution h-index 2,222 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39800688) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 39 / 72 | Scored on 15 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 39 of the 72 points we could judge it on is 54 out of 100. |
| Total | 54 / 100 | — |
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APA 7th
Chaar Dima, L., Le, T., Kari, M., Jiacong, D., Opsasnick Lauren, A., Ratliff Scott, M., et al. (2025). Neighborhood environment associations with cognitive function and structural brain measures in older African Americans. BMC medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03845-7
Vancouver
Chaar Dima L, Le T, Kari M, Jiacong D, Opsasnick Lauren A, Ratliff Scott M, et al. Neighborhood environment associations with cognitive function and structural brain measures in older African Americans. BMC medicine. 2025. doi:10.1186/s12916-024-03845-7. PMID: 39800688.
BibTeX
@article{chaardima2025-39800688,
author = {Chaar Dima, L. and Le, Tu and Kari, Moore and Jiacong, Du and Opsasnick Lauren, A. and Ratliff Scott, M. and Mosley Thomas, H. and Kardia Sharon L, R. and others},
title = {{Neighborhood environment associations with cognitive function and structural brain measures in older African Americans}},
journal = {BMC medicine},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1186/s12916-024-03845-7},
pmid = {39800688},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03845-7}
}
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