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
Multicenter Study
. 2013 Dec 3;81(23):2024-7.
doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000436935.47657.78. Epub 2013 Nov 13.

Pulse pressure is associated with Alzheimer biomarkers in cognitively normal older adults

Daniel A Nation  1 , Steven D Edland, Mark W Bondi, David P Salmon, Lisa Delano-Wood, Elaine R Peskind, Joseph F Quinn, Douglas R Galasko
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Pulse pressure is associated with Alzheimer biomarkers in cognitively normal older adults

Daniel A Nation et al. Neurology. .

Abstract

Objective: The current study examined the association between pulse pressure (PP) and CSF-based biomarkers for Alzheimer disease, including β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ1-42) and phosphorylated tau (P-tau) protein, in cognitively normal older adults.

Methods: One hundred seventy-seven cognitively normal, stroke-free older adult participants (aged 55-100 years) underwent blood pressure assessment for determination of PP (systolic - diastolic blood pressure) and lumbar puncture for measurement of CSF Aβ1-42 and P-tau. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression, controlling for age, sex, APOE genotype, and body mass index, evaluated the relationship between PP and Alzheimer disease biomarkers.

Results: PP elevation was associated with increased P-tau (r = 0.23, p = 0.002), reduced Aβ1-42 (r = -0.19, p = 0.01), and increased P-tau to Aβ1-42 ratio (r = 0.27, p < 0.001). After controlling for covariates, PP remained associated with P-tau (β = 0.18, p = 0.0196) and P-tau to Aβ1-42 ratio (β = 0.0016, p < 0.001) but was no longer associated with Aβ1-42 (β = -0.1, p = 0.35). Post hoc multivariate analyses indicated that increased PP was associated with all biomarkers in younger participants (aged 55-70 years) (Aβ1-42: p = 0.050; P-tau: p = 0.003; P-tau to Aβ ratio: p = 0.0007) but not older participants (aged 70-100 years).

Conclusions: PP elevation is associated with increased CSF P-tau and decreased Aβ1-42 in cognitively normal older adults, suggesting that pulsatile hemodynamics may be related to amyloidosis and tau-related neurodegeneration. The relationship between PP and CSF biomarkers is age-dependent and observed only in participants in the fifth and sixth decades of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure. Pulse pressure correlates with Alzheimer disease biomarkers
Scatterplots display the association between elevated pulse pressure and (A) reduced CSF β-amyloid 1–42 (Aβ1–42), (B) increased phosphorylated tau (P-tau), and (C) increased P-tau to Aβ1–42 ratio.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Qiu C, Winblad B, Fratiglioni L. The age-dependent relation of blood pressure to cognitive function and dementia. Lancet Neurol 2005;4:487–499 - PubMed
    1. Qiu C, Winblad B, Viitanen M, Fratiglioni L. Pulse pressure and risk of Alzheimer disease in persons aged 75 years and older: a community-based, longitudinal study. Stroke 2003;34:594–599 - PubMed
    1. Mitchell GF. Effects of central arterial aging on the structure and function of the peripheral vasculature: implications for end-organ damage. J Appl Physiol 2008;105:1652–1660 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mitchell GF, van Buchem MA, Sigurdsson S, et al. Arterial stiffness, pressure and flow pulsatility and brain structure and function: the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility–Reykjavik Study. Brain 2011;134(pt 11):3398–3407 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nation DA, Delano-Wood L, Bangen KJ, et al. Antemortem pulse pressure elevation predicts cerebrovascular disease in autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer's disease. J Alzheimers Dis 2012;30:595–603 - PMC - PubMed

Publication types