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A common allele of the FTO gene, carried by 46% of western European populations, is associated with significantly higher body-mass index. Higher BMI has also been associated with lower brain volumes. Therefore, these researchers examined a possible association in 206 healthy elders (mean age, 76) between brain size and the two FTO alleles known to increase risk for high BMI.
In lieu of looking for the two known risk alleles, the investigators searched for a single nucleotide polymorphism in linkage disequilibrium with these alleles; 128 participants had an allele containing the SNP, and 78 did not. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with tensor-based morphometry was used to measure regional brain volumes. Other measures included serum choleste…