Elevated Plasma Homocysteine Is Associated with Increased Brain Atrophy Rates in Older Subjects with Mild Hypertension

Abstract

We determined using serial MR imaging whether raised plasma homocysteine levels are associated with increased brain atrophy, white matter lesion (WML) progression or incidence of silent brain infarcts (SBIs) in older hypertensive subjects. Brain atrophy rates (0.58 ± 0.48% per year, mean ± SD) were significantly correlated with homocysteine (β = 0.46, p = 0.001 homocysteine; β = 0.44, p = 0.007 homocysteine/folate/B12 models) but not with folate or B12 levels. Progression of WML (0.08 ± 0.16%) was not associated with homocysteine level (B = 0.01, p = 0.29). New SBIs were uncommon. In older hypertensive individuals, plasma homocysteine levels are associated with increased rates of whole-brain atrophy but not WML progression.

Functional and/or structural brain changes in response to resistance exercises and resistance training lead to cognitive improvements – a systematic review

“…A possible neurobiological mechanism that elucidates, at least partly, the effects of resistance training on white matter and cognition could be derived from the known effects of resistance training on the amino acid homocysteine. First, it is important to remember that a higher total homocysteine level is linked to (i) a higher extent of white matter lesions [334], (ii) a higher (faster) brain atrophy rate [335][336][337], (iii) an increased risk of neurological diseases [338][339][340][341][342][343][344], and (iv) poorer global cognitive performance and executive functioning [345][346][347][348][349][350]. Second, it is known that resistance training decreases the level of plasma [351] and serum homocysteine [187,352].…”

Homocysteine and progression of generalized small-vessel disease

“…Homocysteine promotes endothelial dysfunction through various processes and has been implicated in small-vessel disease in the brain and kidney. 16,17 Studies were limited to microvascular pathology in single organs, whereas it probably occurs simultaneously in several organs. Although cross-sectional studies show associations between total homocysteine (tHcy) level and small-vessel disease, [12][13][14][15] the results of the few longitudinal studies are unclear.…”

Association between homocysteine and white matter hyperintensities in asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis: results from a population-based study

“…However, a closer look at previously conducted, longitudinal studies suggests contradicting conclusions about this association. To the best of our knowledge, as this present moment, only 4 studies have investigated a longitudinal association between Hcy and WMH, and most of them failed to identify an association between Hcy and WMH [12,22,23]. The Epidemiology of Vascular Aging study and the Cardiovascular Health Study are two of the most well-known longitudinal studies [12,22].…”

“…The Epidemiology of Vascular Aging study and the Cardiovascular Health Study are two of the most well-known longitudinal studies [12,22]. However, considering that only semiquantitative measurements of WMH were used, and sample sizes were small and included only a specific population (only older hypertensive subjects recruited from the Study on Cognition and Prognosis in the Elderly (SCOPE) trial) [23,24], it is difficult to draw a convincing conclusion about the association between Hcy and WMH. To avoid these confounding factors and investigate the association between Hcy and WMH more precisely, a larger, longitudinal study using quantitative measurement of WMH was conducted [25].…”