High coronary artery calcification was associated with significantly lower general cognition (adjusted mean difference 0.28, 95% CI -0.48 to -0.08) compared to absent calcification in cognitively unimpaired adults.
Cross-Sectional (n=278)
No
Is high coronary artery calcification associated with cognitive and cerebrovascular alterations in cognitively unimpaired adults?
High coronary artery calcification is associated with cognitive and cerebrovascular changes independent of Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, suggesting vascular pathways in early brain aging.
Mean Difference: 0.28 (95% CI -0.48–-0.08)
Absolute Event Rate: -0.32% vs 0.29%
p-value: p=0.04
Coronary artery calcification (CAC) entails arterial wall hardening and lipid-rich plaque accumulation and may contribute to early cognitive decline. Its association with cognition, brain structure and function, Alzheimer’s disease, neurodegeneration, and inflammatory and lipid biomarkers remains unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 278 cognitively unimpaired adults aged ≥ 50 years with absent (score = 0; n = 151) or high CAC (score ≥ 300; n = 127). Participants underwent cognitive testing, serum assays (Aβ42/40, pTau181, NfL, GFAP, inflammatory and lipid markers), and multimodal MRI (structural, resting-state and vessel encoded arterial spin labeling). High CAC was associated with lower general cognition, increased white matter hyperintensities, altered hippocampal and sensorimotor connectivity, and reduced perfusion in the inferior frontal gyrus pars opercularis. No group differences emerged in the serum biomarkers. These results reveal that high CAC is associated with cognitive and cerebrovascular changes independent of Alzheimer’s disease biomarker increase, suggesting vascular pathways in early brain aging.
Marcolini et al. (Mon,) conducted a cross-sectional in Cognitively unimpaired adults (n=278). High coronary artery calcification (CAC score ≥ 300) vs. Absent coronary artery calcification (CAC score = 0) was evaluated on General cognition (g-factor) (MD 0.28, 95% CI -0.48 to -0.08, p=0.04). High coronary artery calcification was associated with significantly lower general cognition (adjusted mean difference 0.28, 95% CI -0.48 to -0.08) compared to absent calcification in cognitively unimpaired adults.