Key result
Higher endothelial function, measured by reactive hyperemia index, was positively correlated with white matter microstructure in the corpus callosum and associated with better executive function.
Cross-Sectional (n=36)
No
Superior endothelial function is associated with better white matter microstructure in the corpus callosum and better executive function in older adults.
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Endothelial-cognition links in older adults remain hypothesis-generating; leaves open need for prospective trials before any clinical inference.
Age-related declines in endothelial function can lead to cognitive decline. However, little is known about the relationships between endothelial function and specific neurocognitive functions. This study explored the relationship between measures of endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index; RHI), white matter (WM) health (fractional anisotropy, FA, and WM hyperintensity volume, WMH), and executive function (Trail Making Test (TMT); Trail B - Trail A). Participants were 36 older adults between the ages of 59 and 69 (mean age = 63.89 years, SD = 2.94). WMH volume showed no relationship with RHI or executive function. However, there was a positive relationship between RHI and FA in the genu and body of the corpus callosum. In addition, higher RHI and FA were each associated with better executive task performance. Tractography was used to localize the WM tracts associated with RHI to specific portions of cortex. Results indicated that the RHI-FA relationship observed in the corpus callosum primarily involved tracts interconnecting frontal regions, including the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and frontopolar cortex, linked with executive function. These findings suggest that superior endothelial function may help to attenuate age-related declines in WM microstructure in portions of the corpus callosum that interconnect prefrontal brain regions involved in executive function.
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Johnson et al. (2017) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy older adults (n=36). Endothelial function (Reactive Hyperemia Index) was evaluated on Correlation between reactive hyperemia index (RHI) and executive function (Trail B - Trail A) (r = -0.359, p=0.05). Higher endothelial function, measured by reactive hyperemia index, was positively correlated with white matter microstructure in the corpus callosum and associated with better executive function.
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