Obesity-related neurodegeneration mimics Alzheimer's disease, finds study

Previous research has shown that obesity is linked with Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related changes, such as cerebrovascular damage and amyloid-b accumulation. However, to date no research has made a direct comparison between brain atrophy patterns in AD and obesity.

Obesity is increasingly recognized as a multisystem disease affecting respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems, among others. A new study led by scientists at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University finds a correlation between neurodegeneration in obese people and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, suggesting that losing excess weight could slow cognitive decline in aging and lower risk for AD.

Using a sample of over 1,300 individuals, the researchers compared patterns of grey matter atrophy in obesity and AD. They compared the AD patients with healthy controls, and obese with non-obese individuals, creating maps of grey matter atrophy for each group.

The scientists found that obesity and AD affected grey matter cortical thinning in similar ways. For example, thinning in the right temporo-parietal cortex and left prefrontal cortex were similar in both groups. Cortical thinning may be a sign of neurodegeneration. This suggests that obesity may cause the same type of neurodegeneration as found in people with AD.