Key result
Hypertension is linked to increased brain iron deposition that correlates with cognitive impairment.
Why the study?
Hypertension may impair cognition and brain iron deposition correlates with cognitive impairment, but the relationship between brain iron and cognition in hypertensive patients remains less clear.
Is regional brain iron deposition measured by quantitative susceptibility mapping associated with cognitive impairment in patients with hypertension?
Cross-Sectional (n=84)
Is regional brain iron deposition measured by quantitative susceptibility mapping associated with cognitive impairment in patients with hypertension?
Quantitative susceptibility mapping reveals that regional brain iron deposition is increased in hypertensive patients and correlates with the severity of cognitive impairment.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Regional brain iron deposition correlates with MCI in hypertension; hypothesis-generating for iron as biomarker, prospective studies needed before clinical use.
BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) might impair cognition. Brain iron deposition correlates with cognitive impairment. The relationship between brain iron and cognition in HTN patients is less clear. PURPOSE: To measure brain susceptibility in HTN patients using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and to explore the relationship between brain iron and cognition. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Sixty HTN patients (35 with mild cognitive impairment [MCI] and 25 without MCI) and 24 age, gender, and education matched controls. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3 T; strategically acquired gradient echo (STAGE) imaging protocol for QSM analysis. ASSESSMENT: All subjects underwent Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scoring of visuospatial/executive, naming, attention, abstraction, language, delayed memory, and orientation functions. HTN patients were divided into two groups (with and without MCI) depending on the MoCA score. Regions of interest (ROIs) were manually demarcated on the STAGE images by three independent radiologists and susceptibility were determined for bilateral frontal white matter, parietal white matter, occipital white matter, caudate nucleus (CN), putamen (PU), globus pallidus (GP), thalamus (TH), red nucleus (RN), substantia nigra (SN), and dentate nucleus (DN). STATISTICAL TESTS: Analysis of variance with post-hoc least significant difference (LSD) tests and Pearson correlation coefficients (r). A P-value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The susceptibility was significantly different in CN, PU, and DN among the three groups. The susceptibility of right CN and left PU were correlated with MoCA scores (r = -0.429 and r = -0.389, respectively). The susceptibility of left PU was also correlated with delayed memory scores (r = -0.664). The susceptibility of left and right GP were correlated with naming scores (r = -0.494 and r = -0.446, respectively) and the susceptibility of left DN were correlated with visuospatial/executive scores (r = 0.479). DATA CONCLUSION: QSM measured brain iron was significantly higher in CN, PU, and DN in HTN patients. Cognitive impairment was correlated with regional brain iron deposition. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.
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A 2022 study conducted a cross-sectional in Hypertension and cognitive impairment (n=84). Hypertension and brain iron deposition vs. Matched healthy controls was evaluated on Regional brain susceptibility (iron deposition) and correlation with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Brain iron deposition was significantly higher in the caudate nucleus, putamen, and dentate nucleus of hypertension patients and correlated with cognitive impairment (e.g., right CN r = -0.429).
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