Prenatal Famine Exposure and Late-Life Functional Brain Network Connectivity: A Longitudinal Study
Poster No:
1238
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Amber Boots1, Jessica Damoiseaux2, Youjin Yung2, Aline Marileen Wiegersma3, Anouk Schrantee3, Daphne Boucherie3, Tessa Roseboom3, Susanne de Rooij3
Institutions:
1Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, NA, 2Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 3Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
The effects of the prenatal environment on resting-state functional connectivity can be detected up into older adulthood. In the Dutch famine birth cohort study, we previously identified differences in resting-state functional connectivity of the default mode network (DMN),salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN) at age 68 between men and women who had been exposed or unexposed to famine in early gestation. In the current study, we aimed to investigate longitudinal changes in resting-state functional connectivity of the DMN, SN and CEN in the same cohort between ages 68 and 74. Our hypothesis posited that prenatal famine exposure would be associated with more pronounced aging-related changes in functional connectivity, expressed as network desegregation with reduced within-network functional connectivity.
Methods:
We performed a longitudinal follow-up resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study in the Dutch famine birth cohort at ages 68 (N = 115) and 74 (N = 80). Within-network functional connectivity of the DMN, SN and CEN was determined using the CONN toolbox ROI-to-ROI connectivity pipeline and was compared between individuals unexposed (born before or conceived after) or exposed to famine in early gestation using a latent change score modeling approach with full information maximum likelihood estimation (Fig. 1).
·Fig. 1. Latent change score model path diagram of within-network functional connectivity. Squares represent observed variables, circles are latent variables. Grey dotted lines indicate fixed effects,
Results:
No group differences were observed in baseline score (intercept) or rate of change (slope) of the DMN, SN and CEN between individuals exposed or unexposed to famine in early gestation (∆χ2 = 1.408, p = 0.704). Across both groups, there was a significant increase in DMN connectivity over time. Additional exploratory analyses revealed that the increase in DMN connectivity was mainly driven by connectivity within the posterior cingulate cortex and parietal regions of the DMN.
Conclusions:
This study did not reveal more pronounced aging-related alterations in network connectivity among individuals exposed to famine in early gestation compared to unexposed individuals. This does not provide support for the hypothesis of accelerated brain aging, but may align with persistent developmental effects of prenatal undernutrition on late-life brain health. Future analyses will examine changes in between-network functional connectivity as well.
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Neurodegenerative/ Late Life (eg. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s)
Lifespan Development:
Aging
Early life, Adolescence, Aging 1
Modeling and Analysis Methods:
fMRI Connectivity and Network Modeling 2
Keywords:
Development
FUNCTIONAL MRI
MRI
Other - Lifespan
1|2Indicates the priority used for review