Deciphering the influence of socioeconomic status on brain structure: insights from Mendelian randomization

Abstract

Socioeconomic status (SES) influences physical and mental health, however its relation with brain structure is less well documented. Here, we examine the role of SES on brain structure using Mendelian randomisation. First, we conduct a multivariate genome-wide association study of SES using educational attainment, household income, occupational prestige, and area-based social deprivation, with an effective sample size of N = 947,466. We identify 554 loci associated with SES and distil these loci into those that are common across those four traits. Second, using an independent sample of ~35,000 we provide evidence to suggest that SES is protective against white matter hyperintensities as a proportion of intracranial volume (WMHicv). Third, we find that differences in SES still afford a protective effect against WMHicv, independent of that made by cognitive ability. Our results suggest that SES is a modifiable risk factor, causal in the maintenance of cognitive ability in older-age.