Periodontitis Tied to Impaired Brain Function
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Jan. 14, 2025 -- Periodontitis might be a potential risk factor for impaired brain function even in individuals with normal cognition, according to a study published online Nov. 20 in the Journal of Periodontology.
Wei Ye, from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in Hefei, China, and colleagues investigated the effects of periodontitis on brain function (intranetwork functional connectivity [FC] and internetwork FC). The analysis included periodontal findings and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging from 51 middle-aged and elderly participants with normal cognition.
The researchers found differences in intranetwork FC among groups in the anterior default-mode network (aDMN), dorsal attention network, and dorsal sensorimotor network (dSMN). The analysis of internetwork FC showed increased FC between the auditory network and the ventral attention network (VAN), between the aDMN and the salience network (SN), and between the SN and the VAN. The analysis also showed decreased FC between the posterior default-mode network and the right frontoparietal network in the moderate-to-severe periodontitis group compared with those without periodontitis or with mild periodontitis. There was also an increase in internetwork FC between the dSMN and the VAN in those with moderate-to-severe periodontitis compared with no periodontitis. There was a significant correlation seen between altered intranetwork and internetwork FC with the periodontal clinical index.
"The present study indicates that periodontitis might be a potential risk factor for brain damage and provides a theoretical clue and a new treatment target for the early prevention of Alzheimer disease," the authors write.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted January 2025
Read this next
Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Increased Risk for Young-Onset Dementia
THURSDAY, April 24, 2025 -- Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its individual components are associated with an increased risk for young-onset dementia (YOD), according to a study...
Dementia Biomarkers Associated With Age, Sex, APOE ε4 Status
MONDAY, April 21, 2025 -- Dementia biomarkers -- phosphorylated tau (P-tau181), neurofilament light (NfL), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) -- are associated with age...
Acute Care for Cannabis Use Increases Risk for Subsequent New Dementia Diagnosis
FRIDAY, April 18, 2025 -- Individuals seeking acute care for cannabis use have an increased risk for a new dementia diagnosis compared with those with all-cause hospital-based...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.