Peripheral inflammation has been implicated in cognitive dysfunction and dementia. While studies outline the relationship between elevated inflammation and individual gray or white matter alterations, less work has examined inflammation as related to connectivity between gray and white matter or variability in these associations by race. We examined the relationship between peripheral inflammation and tract-based structural connectomics in 74 non-demented participants (age = 69.19 ± 6.80 years; 53% female; 45% Black) who underwent fasting venipuncture and MRI. Serum was assayed for C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1β. Graph theory analysis integrated T1-derived gray matter volumes and DTI-derived white matter tractography into connectivity matrices analyzed for local measures of nodal strength and efficiency in a priori regions of interest associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors and dementia. Linear regressions adjusting for relevant covariates showed associations between inflammatory markers and nodal strength in the isthmus, posterior and caudal anterior cingulate (p’s ≤ .042). Adding an inflammatory marker*race term showed race-modified associations between C-reactive protein and efficiency in the thalamus and amygdala, and nodal strength in the putamen (p’s ≤ .048), between interleukin-6 and efficiency in the pars triangularis and amygdala (p’s ≤ .024), and between interleukin-1β and nodal strength in the pars opercularis (p = .048). Higher levels of inflammation associated with lower efficiency and higher strength for White participants but higher efficiency and lower strength for Black participants. Results suggest inflammation is associated with tract-based structural connectomics in an older diverse cohort and that differential relationships may exist by race within prefrontal and limbic brain regions.

周围炎症与认知功能障碍和痴呆有关。虽然研究概述了炎症升高与个体灰质或白质改变之间的关系，但很少有人研究炎症与灰质和白质之间的连接性或这些关联的种族变异性。我们在 74 名接受过禁食静脉穿刺和 MRI 的非痴呆参与者（年龄 = 69.19 ± 6.80 岁；53% 女性；45% 黑人）中检查了外周炎症与基于管道的结构连接组之间的关系。检测血清中的 C 反应蛋白、白细胞介素 6 和白细胞介素 1β。图论分析将 T1 衍生的灰质体积和 DTI 衍生的白质纤维束成像整合到连接矩阵中，分析与心血管疾病危险因素和痴呆相关的先验感兴趣区域的节点强度和效率的局部测量。调整相关协变量的线性回归显示炎症标志物与峡部、后扣带回和尾部前扣带回的淋巴结强度之间存在关联（p's ≤ .042）。添加炎症标记*种族术语显示 C 反应蛋白与丘脑和杏仁核的效率之间、壳核中的节点强度 (p's ≤ .048)、白细胞介素 6 与三角部和杏仁核的效率之间的种族修改关联(p's ≤ .024)，以及白介素-1β 和岛盖部的节点强度之间 ( 调整相关协变量的线性回归显示炎症标志物与峡部、后扣带回和尾部前扣带回的淋巴结强度之间存在关联（p's ≤ .042）。添加炎症标记*种族术语显示 C 反应蛋白与丘脑和杏仁核的效率之间、壳核中的节点强度 (p's ≤ .048)、白细胞介素 6 与三角部和杏仁核的效率之间的种族修改关联(p's ≤ .024)，以及白介素-1β 和岛盖部的节点强度之间 ( 调整相关协变量的线性回归显示炎症标志物与峡部、后扣带回和尾部前扣带回的淋巴结强度之间存在关联（p's ≤ .042）。添加炎症标记*种族术语显示 C 反应蛋白与丘脑和杏仁核的效率之间、壳核中的节点强度 (p's ≤ .048)、白细胞介素 6 与三角部和杏仁核的效率之间的种族修改关联(p's ≤ .024)，以及白介素-1β 和岛盖部的节点强度之间 (p  = .048)。对于白人参与者来说，较高水平的炎症与较低的效率和较高的强度相关，但对于黑人参与者来说，较高的效率和较低的强度相关。结果表明，炎症与老年多样化队列中基于束的结构连接组学相关，并且前额叶和边缘脑区域内的种族可能存在差异关系。