TY - JOUR
T1 - The associations of glycosylated hemoglobin with grey matter volume and depression
T2 - Investigating mediating role of grey matter volume
AU - Zheng, Dashan
AU - Cai, Miao
AU - Qian, Zhengmin (Min)
AU - Wang, Chongjian
AU - Zhang, Shiyu
AU - Zhang, Zilong
AU - Wang, Xiaojie
AU - Vaughn, Michael G.
AU - Bingheim, Elizabeth
AU - Lin, Hualiang
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - Background: Depression has caused enormous health burden to human worldwide. Glycemia has been found as one important risk factor of depression. However, the biological mechanism underlying this relationship remained largely unknown. Methods: This analysis was derived from a cohort of 33,151 participants in the UK Biobank who provided brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 2014 to 2020. Participants were classified into diabetic, prediabetic and non-diabetic groups, as well as groups aged ≥60 years and <60 years. We assessed the associations between glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), grey matter volume (GMV) in 117 brain regions, and depression based on the multivariable linear and logistic regression. We further investigated the mediation effect of GMV on the relationship between HbA1c and depression. Results: Higher HbA1c was found to be associated with reduced GMV and depression. Lower GMV was observed associated with depression. Moreover, the association was strongest in prediabetes compared to prediabetic and non-diabetic, and the association was greater in those aged ≥60 years. We further observed a significant mediation effect of GMV on the association between HbA1c and depression, and the proportions of the effect mediated by HbA1c-depression signatured regions was 7.29% (95% CI: 1.43%, 34.38%). Conclusions: This study suggests that HbA1c is associated with cerebral grey matter abnormality especially in participants aged ≥60 years. In the context of global aging, the unhealthy blood sugar can contribute to more severe brain damage for the population and effective control of blood sugar levels among the elderly can have a positive impact on brain health and potentially reduce the risk of developing depression.
AB - Background: Depression has caused enormous health burden to human worldwide. Glycemia has been found as one important risk factor of depression. However, the biological mechanism underlying this relationship remained largely unknown. Methods: This analysis was derived from a cohort of 33,151 participants in the UK Biobank who provided brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 2014 to 2020. Participants were classified into diabetic, prediabetic and non-diabetic groups, as well as groups aged ≥60 years and <60 years. We assessed the associations between glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), grey matter volume (GMV) in 117 brain regions, and depression based on the multivariable linear and logistic regression. We further investigated the mediation effect of GMV on the relationship between HbA1c and depression. Results: Higher HbA1c was found to be associated with reduced GMV and depression. Lower GMV was observed associated with depression. Moreover, the association was strongest in prediabetes compared to prediabetic and non-diabetic, and the association was greater in those aged ≥60 years. We further observed a significant mediation effect of GMV on the association between HbA1c and depression, and the proportions of the effect mediated by HbA1c-depression signatured regions was 7.29% (95% CI: 1.43%, 34.38%). Conclusions: This study suggests that HbA1c is associated with cerebral grey matter abnormality especially in participants aged ≥60 years. In the context of global aging, the unhealthy blood sugar can contribute to more severe brain damage for the population and effective control of blood sugar levels among the elderly can have a positive impact on brain health and potentially reduce the risk of developing depression.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85164332701&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85164332701&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.glt.2023.06.004
DO - 10.1016/j.glt.2023.06.004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85164332701
SN - 2589-7918
VL - 5
SP - 107
EP - 116
JO - Global Transitions
JF - Global Transitions
ER -