Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2007 Feb;38(2):308-12.
doi: 10.1161/01.STR.0000254517.04275.3f. Epub 2007 Jan 4.

Endothelial function and white matter hyperintensities in older adults with cardiovascular disease

Karin F Hoth  1 , David F Tate, Athena Poppas, Daniel E Forman, John Gunstad, David J Moser, Robert H Paul, Angela L Jefferson, Andreana P Haley, Ronald A Cohen
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Endothelial function and white matter hyperintensities in older adults with cardiovascular disease

Karin F Hoth et al. Stroke. 2007 Feb.

Abstract

Background and purpose: The presence of white matter hyperintensities on brain MRI is common among elderly individuals. Previous research suggests that cardiovascular risk factors are associated with increased white matter hyperintensities. Examining the role of direct physiological measures of vascular function will help to clarify the vascular mechanisms related to white matter hyperintensities. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between endothelial-dependent and endothelial-independent vasodilatation and white matter hyperintensity volume.

Methods: Twenty-five older adults with a range of cardiovascular diseases underwent brain MRI and completed assessments of blood vessel integrity using endothelial-dependent and independent flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery. A semi-automated pixel-based method was used to quantify total brain volume and white matter hyperintensity volume, with white matter hyperintensity volume corrected for total brain volume. The association between measures of flow-mediated dilation and log-transformed white matter hyperintensities was examined.

Results: Correlation analysis revealed that endothelial-dependent vasodilatation was significantly and inversely associated with white matter hyperintensity volume. In contrast, endothelial-independent vasodilatation was not associated with white matter hyperintensities. Neither endothelial-dependent nor endothelial-independent vasodilatation was associated with total brain volume.

Conclusions: These data provide preliminary evidence that the integrity of the vascular endothelium is associated with white matter hyperintensities in older adults with cardiovascular disease. Impaired vascular function may be one mechanism that contributes to the development of white matter hyperintensities in the brain. Additional longitudinal research combining measures of vessel function, neuroimaging and cognition will be helpful in clarifying this potential mechanism.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

None
Scatterplot of flow-mediated vessel dilatation and WMH ratio.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Almkvist O, Wahlund LO, Andersson-Lundman G, Basun H, Backman L. White-matter hyperintensity and neuropsychological functions in dementia and healthy aging. Arch Neurol. 1992;49:626–632. - PubMed
    1. Soderlund H, Nyberg L, Adolfsson R, Nilsson LG, Launer LJ. High prevalence of white matter hyperintensities in normal aging: relation to blood pressure and cognition. Cortex. 2003;39:1093–1105. - PubMed
    1. Gunning-Dixon FM, Raz N. Neuroanatomical correlates of selected executive functions in middle-aged and older adults: a prospective MRI study. Neuropsychologia. 2003;41:1929–1941. - PubMed
    1. DeCarli C, Miller BL, Swan GE, Reed T, Wolf PA, Carmelli D. Cerebrovascular and brain morphologic correlates of mild cognitive impairment in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Twin Study. Arch Neurol. 2001;58:643–647. - PubMed
    1. Paul RH, Haque O, Gunstad J, Tate DF, Grieve SM, Hoth K, Brickman AM, Cohen R, Lange K, Jefferson AL, MacGregor KL, Gordon E. Subcortical hyperintensities impact cognitive function among a select subset of healthy elderly. Arch Clin Neuropsychol. 2005;20:697–704. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types