Background: Emerging findings indicate that the hypothalamus, the body's principal homeostatic centre, plays a crucial role in modulating cognition, but comprehensive population-based studies are lacking.
Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the Rhineland Study (N = 5812, 55.2 ± 13.6 years, 58% women) and the UK Biobank Imaging Study (UKB) (N = 45,076, 64.2 ± 7.7 years, 53% women), two large-scale population-based cohort studies. Volumes of hypothalamic structures were obtained from 3T structural magnetic resonance images through an automatic parcellation procedure (FastSurfer-HypVINN). The standardised cognitive domain scores were derived from extensive neuropsychological test batteries. We employed multivariable linear regression to assess associations of hypothalamic volumes with age, sex and cognitive performance.
Findings: In older individuals, volumes of total, anterior and posterior hypothalamus, and mammillary bodies were smaller, while those of medial hypothalamus and tuberal region were larger. Larger medial hypothalamus volume was related to higher cortisol levels in older individuals, providing functional validation. Volumes of all hypothalamic structures were larger in men compared to women. In both sexes, larger volumes of total, anterior and posterior hypothalamus, and mammillary bodies were associated with better domain-specific cognitive performance, whereas larger volumes of medial hypothalamus and tuberal region were associated with worse domain-specific cognitive performance.
Interpretation: We found strong age and sex effects on hypothalamic structures, as well as robust associations between these structures and domain-specific cognitive functions. Overall, these findings thus implicate specific hypothalamic subregions as potential therapeutic targets against age-associated cognitive decline.
Funding: Institutional funds, Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany, Alzheimer's Association.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105513 | DOI Listing |
Lung Cancer
December 2024
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Background: The upfront treatment of non-oncogene-addicted NSCLC relies on immunotherapy alone (ICI) or in combination with chemotherapy (CT-ICI). Genomic aberrations such as KRAS, TP53, KEAP1, SMARCA4, or STK11 may impact survival outcomes.
Methods: We performed an observational study of 145 patients treated with first-line IO or CT-ICI for advanced non-squamous (nsq) NSCLC at our institution tested with an extensive lab-developed NGS panel.
Gut Microbes
December 2025
Hypertension Research Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Monash, Clayton, Australia.
The gut microbiota is a crucial link between diet and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Using fecal metaproteomics, a method that concurrently captures human gut and microbiome proteins, we determined the crosstalk between gut microbiome, diet, gut health, and CVD. Traditional CVD risk factors (age, BMI, sex, blood pressure) explained < 10% of the proteome variance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAppl Neuropsychol Child
December 2024
Institute on Development and Disability, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Executive functions (EF) affect child competencies across domains in early childhood. Thus, this study examined: 1) the EF differences between young children with global developmental delays (GDD) and those with typical development (TD); 2) the relationship between mastery motivation (MM) and EF; 3) the association between developmental abilities and EF in both groups. Participants included 26 mother-child dyads of preschoolers with GDD (age 24-55 months) and 26 sex- and mental-age-matched dyads of TD preschoolers (age 15-29 months).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Physiol Funct Imaging
January 2025
Research Center of Health, Physical Fitness and Sports, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
The present study examined the relationships between trunk tissue distribution, metabolic risk factors, and physical performance in young Japanese individuals using cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Thirty-six healthy Japanese men (n = 20, body mass index [BMI]: 20.8 ± 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Psychol
December 2024
Princess Salma Faculty of Nursing, Al Al-Bayt University, Mafraq, Jordan.
Background: Various factors associated with attitudes toward the utilization of professional psychological help among the school-going population have been explored, but studies from Arabian Gulf countries are lacking. This study aimed to assess attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, examine how demographic factors and self-esteem are associated with seeking psychological help, and understand the interaction between these variables.
Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design was used.
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