Effects of Arterial Stiffness on Brain Integrity in Young Adults From the Framingham Heart Study
Key result
Higher CFPWV is linked to reduced fractional anisotropy and gray matter density in young adults.
- P < 0.001
Why the study?
Does higher arterial stiffness associate with reduced white matter and gray matter integrity in young healthy adults?
Population
1,903 young healthy adults from the Framingham Heart Study Third Generation cohort. Key exclusions…
Design
Cross-sectional
Authors
Discussion
Loading...
Member takes
Implication
May mark early vascular brain injury in young adults; hypothesis-generating, needs longitudinal confirmation before practice change.
Structured PICO
Does higher arterial stiffness associate with reduced white matter and gray matter integrity in young healthy adults?
P
Population
1,903 young healthy adults from the Framingham Heart Study Third Generation cohort (mean age 46.2 ± 8.7 years, 53% women). Key exclusions: prevalent stroke at MRI evaluation, other neurological disorders confounding brain volumes, bad or incomplete tonometry data, or poor MRI quality.
I
Intervention
Arterial stiffness assessment via tonometry (including carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [CFPWV], augmentation index, carotid-brachial pressure amplification, and central pulse pressure)
O
Outcome
Association of arterial stiffness with measures of white matter integrity (fractional anisotropy) and gray matter density computed from brain magnetic resonance imaging (diffusion tensor imaging and T1-weighted images)surrogate
Higher aortic stiffness in young to middle-aged adults is associated with subclinical microstructural white and gray matter injury, suggesting vascular brain injury begins decades before overt cognitive decline.
Limitations
- Cross-sectional design limits ability to establish causal relations between arterial stiffness and brain aging measures
- Cohort is mostly of white descent and does not fully represent the general US population
- Did not include systolic blood pressure in regression analyses to avoid introducing collinearity
- Did not include measures of diet or exercise
Cite This Study
Maillard et al. (2016) studied this question. Higher carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was associated with reduced fractional anisotropy and gray matter density in young adults (P < 0.001).