Home › Research › Caregiving
Visceral obesity relates to deep white matter hyperintensities via inflammation
Lampe L, Zhang R, Beyer F, Huhn S, Kharabian Masouleh S, Preusser S, Bazin PL, Schroeter ML et al.. Annals of neurology, 2019-02-01
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Objective White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are linked to vascular risk factors and increase the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, and stroke. We here aimed to determine whether obesity contributes to regional WMHs using a whole-brain approach in a well-characterized population-based cohort. Methods Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), systolic/diastolic blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes and smoking status, blood glucose and inflammatory markers, as well as distribution of WMH were assessed in 1,825 participants of the LIFE-adult study (age, 20-82 years; BMI, 18.4-55.4 kg/m 2 ) using high-resolution 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging. Voxel-wise analyses tested if obesity predicts regional probability of WMH. Additionally, mediation effects of high-sensitive C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 (IL6) measured in blood were related to obesity and WMH using linear regression and structural equation models. Results WHR related to higher WMH probability predominantly in the deep white matter, even after adjusting for effects of age, sex, and systolic blood pressure (mean ß = 0.0043 [0.0008 SE], 95% confidence interval, [0.00427, 0.0043]; threshold-free cluster enhancement, family-wise error-corrected p Interpretation Our results indicate an increased WMH burden selectively in the deep white matter in obese subjects with high visceral fat accumulation, independent of common obesity comorbidities such as hypertension. Mediation analyses proposed that visceral obesity contributes to deep white matter lesions through increases in proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting a pathomechanistic link. Longitudinal studies need to confirm this hypothesis. ANN NEUROL 2019;85:194-203.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Lampe, L., Zhang, R., Beyer, F., Huhn, S., Kharabian Masouleh, S., Preusser, S., et al. (2019). Visceral obesity relates to deep white matter hyperintensities via inflammation. Annals of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.25396
Vancouver
Lampe L, Zhang R, Beyer F, Huhn S, Kharabian Masouleh S, Preusser S, et al. Visceral obesity relates to deep white matter hyperintensities via inflammation. Annals of neurology. 2019. doi:10.1002/ana.25396. PMID: 30556596.
BibTeX
@article{lampe2019-30556596,
author = {Lampe, L. and Zhang, R. and Beyer, F. and Huhn, S. and Kharabian Masouleh, S. and Preusser, S. and Bazin, P. L. and Schroeter, M. L. and others},
title = {{Visceral obesity relates to deep white matter hyperintensities via inflammation}},
journal = {Annals of neurology},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1002/ana.25396},
pmid = {30556596},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.25396}
}
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.
Key findings
- Results WHR related to higher WMH probability predominantly in the deep white matter, even after adjusting for effects of age, sex, and systolic blood pressure (mean ß = 0.0043 [0.0008 SE], 95% confidence interval, [0.00427, 0.0043]; threshold-free cluster enhancement, family-wise error-corrected p < 0.05).
Why it matters
This study of 1,825 adults found that a higher waist-to-hip ratio was related to more white matter hyperintensities, mainly in the deep white matter, even after adjusting for age, sex and blood pressure. It is about a risk factor and brain imaging, not a treatment or cure for Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Caregiving →
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants1,825
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 66/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Annals of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Annals of Neurology: journal h-index 437 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over 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 | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,825 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 | 5 / 7 | Cited 189 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 21.0 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 83 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author A. Veronica Witte: h-index 52 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Forschungszentrum Jülich: institution h-index 672 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 30556596) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 66 / 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).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
5 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Caregiving
Also tagged “vessel”
900 studies in the library carry the topic tag “vessel”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 900 tagged studies.