Gray Matter Covariance Networks Associated with Parental Longevity – Results from the LonGenity Study

Background Older adults with exceptional longevity – and their offspring – are protected from age-related diseases and have a prolonged health span. Prior research suggests that offspring of parents with exceptional longevity have larger temporal and sensorimotor cortices in mid to late-adulthood – but the association between brain health and parental longevity is not well understood in older adults. This study aimed to identify a gray matter volume pattern (or network) associated with parental longevity in older adults - and to determine if individual expressions of this gray matter pattern vary with cognitive performance. Methods Participants consisted of one hundred and thirty-nine older adults of Ashkenazi Jewish descent from the LonGenity study (M Age 79.4±6.5 years; 56.11% women). Eighty-four (60.4%) were offspring of parents with exceptional longevity and 55 (39.6%) were offspring of parents with usual survival. A gray matter network associated with parental longevity was derived with multivariate covariance-based analyses that were adjusted for potential confounders. Participant-specific expressions of this network were then regressed against cognitive test performances. Results The derived gray matter covariance network associated with parental longevity was primarily composed of frontal, insular, and hippocampal regions. The extent to which older adults displayed this pattern was associated with overall cognition, Free Recall, Digit Symbol Substitution, Boston Naming and Trail Making Test A performance. Conclusion Parental longevity is associated with a widespread network of brain regions in aging. This brain network also varies as a function of cognitive performance.