Leptin bioavailability and markers of brain atrophy and vascular injury in the middle age

INTRODUCTION We investigated the associations of leptin markers with cognitive function and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain atrophy and vascular injury in healthy middle‐aged adults. METHODS We included 2262 cognitively healthy participants from the Framingham Heart Study with neuropsychological evaluation; of these, 2028 also had available brain MRI. Concentrations of leptin, soluble leptin receptor (sOB‐R), and their ratio (free leptin index [FLI]), indicating leptin bioavailability, were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays. Cognitive and MRI measures were derived using standardized protocols. RESULTS Higher sOB‐R was associated with lower fractional anisotropy (FA, β = −0.114 ± 0.02, p