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Citation
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Kim JW, Byun MS, Lee JH, Yi D, Kim MJ, Jung G, Lee JY, Lee YS, Kim YK, Kang KM, Sohn CH, Lee DY. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
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Abstract
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AIM: Spouse bereavement is one of life's greatest stresses and has been suggested to trigger or accelerate cognitive decline and dementia. However, little information is available about potential brain pathologies underlying the association between spouse bereavement and cognitive decline. We aimed to investigate that lifetime spouse bereavement is associated with in vivo human brain pathologies underlying cognitive decline.
METHODS: A total of 319 ever-married older adults between 61 and 90 years of age underwent comprehensive clinical assessments and multimodal brain imaging including [(11) C] Pittsburgh compound B-positron emission tomography (PET), AV-1451 PET, [(18) F] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET, and magnetic resonance imaging. Participants were classified as experiencing no spouse bereavement or spouse bereavement, and comparisons using propensity score matching (59 cases and 59 controls) were performed.
RESULTS: Spouse bereavement was significantly associated with higher cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMH) volume compared to no spouse bereavement. Interactions and subsequent subgroup analyses showed that spouse bereavement was significantly associated with higher WMH in the older (>75 years) subgroup and among those with no- or low-skill occupations. In addition, spouse bereavement at 60 years or over affect WMH volume compared to no spouse bereavement, whereas spouse bereavement at < 60 years did not. No group differences were observed in other brain pathologies between spouse bereavement categories.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the spouse bereavement may contribute to dementia or cognitive decline by increasing cerebrovascular injury, particularly in older individuals and those with no- or low-skill occupations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Language: en |