Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39800688›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2025

Neighborhood environment associations with cognitive function and structural brain measures in older African Americans.

Dima L Chaar, Le Tu, Kari Moore, Jiacong Du, Lauren A Opsasnick, Scott M Ratliff, Thomas H Mosley, Sharon L R Kardia, Wei Zhao, Xiang Zhou and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Dima L ChaarDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Le TuDepartment of Preventive Medicine, John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, USA.
Kari MooreUrban Health Collaborative, Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Jiacong DuDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Lauren A OpsasnickDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Scott M RatliffDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Thomas H MosleyMemory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.
Sharon L R KardiaDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Wei ZhaoDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Xiang ZhouDepartment of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Ana V Diez RouxUrban Health Collaborative, Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Fazlay S FaruqueDepartment of Preventive Medicine, John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, USA.
Kenneth R ButlerMemory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA.
Jennifer A SmithDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. smjenn@umich.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-3575-5468

Funding

Genetics of Microangiopathic Brain InjuryR01NS041558 · NINDS · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · PI TURNER, STEPHEN T · 2001 to 2010
$5.8M
Genomic Predictors of Arteriosclerosis in HypertensivesR01HL087660 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI KARDIA, SHARON L · 2007 to 2009
$5.1M
GENETIC DETERMINANTS OF HIGH BP IN THREE RACIAL GROUPSU01HL054457 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI KARDIA, SHARON L · 2000 to 2004
$2.8M
Epigenetics of Arteriosclerosis in African American Hypertensive SibshipsR01HL133221 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI SMITH, JENNIFER ANN · 2016 to 2019
$2.2M
Genetic Mechanisms of Arteriosclerosis in Hypertensive SibshipsR01HL119443 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI KARDIA, SHARON L · 2014 to 2017
$2.1M
Epigenetic Biomarkers of Common Chronic DiseasesRC1HL100185 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI KARDIA, SHARON L · 2009 to 2010
$999k
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL087660NHLBI NIH HHS R01HL087660NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL119443NHLBI NIH HHS R01HL119443NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL133221NHLBI NIH HHS R01HL133221NHLBI NIH HHS RC1 HL100185NHLBI NIH HHS RC1HL100185NHLBI NIH HHS U01 HL054457NHLBI NIH HHS U01HL054457NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS041558NINDS NIH HHS R01NS041558
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSince older adults spend significant time in their neighborhood environment, environmental factors such as neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, high racial segregation, low healthy food availability, low access to recreation, and minimal social engagement may have adverse effects on cognitive function and increase susceptibility to dementia. DNA methylation, which is associated with neighborhood characteristics as well as cognitive function and white matter hyperintensity (WMH), may act as a mediator between neighborhood characteristics and neurocognitive outcomes.

methodsIn this study, we examined whether DNA methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes mediates the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function (N = 542) or WMH (N = 466) in older African American (AA) participants without preliminary evidence of dementia from the Genetic Epidemiology Network of Arteriopathy (GENOA).

resultsFor a 1-mile buffer around a participant's residence, each additional fast food destination or unfavorable food store with alcohol per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.05 (95%CI: 0.01, 0.09) and a 0.04 (0.00, 0.08) second improvement in visual conceptual tracking score, respectively. Also, each additional alcohol drinking place per square mile was nominally associated with a 0.62 (0.05, 1.19) word increase in delayed recall score, indicating better memory function (all p < 0.05). Neighborhood characteristics were not associated with WMH. We did not find evidence that DNA methylation mediates the observed associations between neighborhood characteristics and cognitive function.

conclusionsThe presence of fast food destinations and unfavorable food stores with alcohol was associated cognitive measures, possibly due to greater social interaction provided in these venues. However, replication of these findings is necessary. Further examination of the potential pathways between the neighborhood environment and cognitive function/WMH may allow the development of potential behavioral, infrastructural, and pharmaceutical interventions to facilitate aging in place and healthy brain aging in older adults, especially in marginal populations that are most at risk.

Indexed as

Black or African AmericanBrainCognitionNeighborhood CharacteristicsResidence CharacteristicsAgedAged, 80 and overDNA MethylationFemaleHumansMaleAlcoholBuilt environmentCognitive functionCognitive healthFast foodFood environmentHealthy agingNeighborhood environmentSocial environmentWhite matter hyperintensity

Identifiers

PMID39800688
PMCPMC11727707

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.