Brain and cognitive correlates of social status across race/ethnicity and sex/gender

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Subjective social status (SSS) in the United States relates to cognition. Few studies assess SSS in one's community, examine brain correlates, or consider associations across the intersection of sex/gender and race/ethnicity. METHODS: A total of 867 participants from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project completed MacArthur Scales of SSS for the United States and the community. Cognitive reserve was residual variance in episodic memory after accounting for gray matter and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volumes. Linear regressions assessed relationships between SSS, brain health, and cognitive reserve. Interactions examined moderation by group. RESULTS: There were no relationships in the full sample. The relationship between higher SSS-community and lower WMH was strongest among White women (interaction B = −0.33, p = 0.047). DISCUSSION: This study highlights the value of assessing community standing, which may be more associated with brain health than U.S. standing. Future work should examine social exposures that shape differential links between SSS and brain health across groups. Highlights: Community standing was more strongly linked to brain health, not cognitive reserve. Community standing may be more relevant to brain health than U.S. standing. Higher community standing is associated with better brain health in White women.