Relations of arterial stiffness and endothelial function to brain aging in the community
Why the study?
Is arterial stiffness and endothelial function associated with vascular and Alzheimer-type brain aging in stroke- and dementia-free adults?
Population
1,587 stroke- and dementia-free Framingham Offspring Study participants, mean age 61 ± 9 years, 45% male.
Design
Cohort
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Arterial stiffness may flag higher subclinical brain injury risk in asymptomatic adults; leaves open whether reducing it preserves brain volume or cognition.
Key Points
- To determine whether arterial stiffness, pressure pulsatility, and endothelial function are linked to vascular and Alzheimer-type brain and cognitive aging.
- Assessed 1,587 stroke- and dementia-free Framingham Offspring Study participants (mean age 61 ± 9 years, 45% male) between 1998 and 2002.
- Measured tonometric carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CFPWV), mean arterial and central pulse pressure, and brachial artery endothelial function.
- Evaluated vascular brain aging via brain MRI (total cerebral brain volume [TCBV], white matter hyperintensities, silent cerebral infarcts) and cognitive tests (Trails B-A and logical memory-delayed recall).
- Higher CFPWV was associated with lower TCBV (each SD increase was equivalent to 1.2 years of brain aging), larger white matter hyperintensity volume, and higher prevalence of silent cerebral infarcts (all p < 0.05).
- Mean arterial pressure correlated with greater white matter hyperintensity volume (p = 0.005), while central pulse pressure correlated with reduced TCBV (p = 0.02) and poorer verbal memory (p < 0.05).
- Associations of tonometry markers with TCBV and white matter hyperintensities were stronger in participants aged ≥65 years (interaction p < 0.10), whereas brachial artery endothelial function was not associated with MRI measures (all p > 0.05).
Structured PICO
Is arterial stiffness and endothelial function associated with vascular and Alzheimer-type brain aging in stroke- and dementia-free adults?
P
Population
1,587 stroke- and dementia-free Framingham Offspring Study participants, mean age 61 ± 9 years, 45% male.
I
Intervention
Tonometric arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [CFPWV], mean arterial and central pulse pressure) and endothelial function assessment
O
Outcome
Vascular brain aging by MRI (total cerebral brain volume [TCBV], white matter hyperintensity volume, silent cerebral infarcts) and vascular and Alzheimer-type cognitive aging (Trails B minus Trails A and logical memory-delayed recall)surrogate
Greater arterial stiffness and pressure pulsatility are associated with MRI markers of vascular brain aging and memory deficits.
Cite This Study
Tsao et al. (2013) studied this question.