Abstract
In previous studies, decreased vitamin B12 and increased plasma homocysteine levels were reported as risk factors for dementia. The aim of this study was to clarify this relationship in earlier ages. Twenty-one healthy middle-aged adults (9 females, 12 males) with a mean age of 46.21 ± 7.99 were retrospectively included in the study. A voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed to measure brain volume. Plasma homocysteine, vitamin B12 levels, verbal and non-verbal memory test performances were recorded. Correlation analyses showed that increased plasma homocysteine was associated with lower memory score. Decreased vitamin B12 level was found to be associated with smaller brain volume in temporal regions. These results suggest that vitamin B12 and plasma homocysteine levels are associated with brain and cognition as early as middle adulthood. Future studies are needed to clarify whether they might be utilized as early hematological biomarkers to predict cognitive decline and neural loss.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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The authors thank all participants who participated in our study. The authors also acknowledge Dr. İlknur Bozkurt for her technical assistance and Dr. Hamoon Khelghat Doost for his critical reading.
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Çebi, M., Metin, B. & Tarhan, N. The association between vitamin B12 and plasma homocysteine levels with episodic memory and the volume of memory related brain structures in middle-aged individuals: a retrospective correlational study. Brain Struct Funct 227, 2103–2109 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-022-02499-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-022-02499-6