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
Subclinical Cardiac Dysfunction Linked to Markers of Neurodegeneration
TUESDAY, April 1, 2025 -- Subclinical cardiac dysfunction is associated with brain imaging markers of neurodegeneration, according to a study published online March 26 in...
Social Vulnerability Index Linked to Risk for Alzheimer Disease
TUESDAY, April 1, 2025 -- Individuals who live in areas with a higher social vulnerability index (SVI) have an increased risk for incident Alzheimer disease (AD) and a faster rate...
Sleep Deficiency Linked to Atrophy of the Inferior Parietal Region of the Brain
MONDAY, March 31, 2025 -- Sleep deficiency is associated with atrophy of the inferior parietal region of the brain, according to a study published online March 31 in the Journal...
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.