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MRI-based Brain Healthcare Quotients: A bridge between neural and behavioral analyses for keeping the brain healthy

Author

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  • Kiyotaka Nemoto
  • Hiroki Oka
  • Hiroki Fukuda
  • Yoshinori Yamakawa

Abstract

Neurological and psychiatric disorders are a burden on social and economic resources. Therefore, maintaining brain health and preventing these disorders are important. While the physiological functions of the brain are well studied, few studies have focused on keeping the brain healthy from a neuroscientific viewpoint. We propose a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based quotient for monitoring brain health, the Brain Healthcare Quotient (BHQ), which is based on the volume of gray matter (GM) and the fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter (WM). We recruited 144 healthy adults to acquire structural neuroimaging data, including T1-weighted images and diffusion tensor images, and data associated with both physical (BMI, blood pressure, and daily time use) and social (subjective socioeconomic status, subjective well-being, post-materialism and Epicureanism) factors. We confirmed that the BHQ was sensitive to an age-related decline in GM volume and WM integrity. Further analysis revealed that the BHQ was critically affected by both physical and social factors. We believe that our BHQ is a simple yet highly sensitive, valid measure for brain health research that will bridge the needs of the scientific community and society and help us lead better lives in which we stay healthy, active, and sharp.

Suggested Citation

  • Kiyotaka Nemoto & Hiroki Oka & Hiroki Fukuda & Yoshinori Yamakawa, 2017. "MRI-based Brain Healthcare Quotients: A bridge between neural and behavioral analyses for keeping the brain healthy," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-13, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0187137
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187137
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    1. repec:cup:apsrev:v:65:y:1971:i:04:p:991-1017_13 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Demakakos, Panayotes & Nazroo, James & Breeze, Elizabeth & Marmot, Michael, 2008. "Socioeconomic status and health: The role of subjective social status," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 330-340, July.
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