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. 2022 Jul 6;14(1):e12332.
doi: 10.1002/dad2.12332. eCollection 2022.

Vascular and microstructural markers of cognitive pathology

Claudia Coffin  1 , Cynthia K Suerken  2 , James R Bateman  3 , Christopher T Whitlow  4 , Benjamin J Williams  3 , Mark A Espeland  1   2 , Bonnie C Sachs  1   3 , Maryjo Cleveland  1 , Mia Yang  1 , Samantha Rogers  1 , Kathleen M Hayden  5 , Laura D Baker  1 , Jeff Williamson  1 , Suzanne Craft  1 , Timothy M Hughes  1 , Samuel N Lockhart  1
Affiliations

Vascular and microstructural markers of cognitive pathology

Claudia Coffin et al. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). .

Abstract

Introduction: Arterial stiffness may play a role in the development of dementia through poorly understood effects on brain microstructural integrity and perfusion.

Methods: We examined markers of arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity [cfPWV]) and elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) in relation to cognitive function and brain magnetic resonance imaging macrostructure (gray matter [GM] and white matter [WM] volumes), microstructure (diffusion based free water [FW] and fractional anisotropy [FA]), and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in WM and GM in models adjusted for age, race, sex, education, and apolipoprotein E ε4 status.

Results: Among 460 participants (70 ± 8 years; 44 dementia, 158 mild cognitive impairment, 258 normal cognition), higher cfPWV and SBP were independently associated with higher FW, higher WM hyperintensity volume, and worse cognition (global and executive function). Higher SBP alone was significantly associated with lower WM and GM CBF.

Discussion: Arterial stiffness is associated with impaired WM microstructure and global and executive cognitive function.

Keywords: arterial stiffness; cognition; hypertension; magnetic resonance imaging; neurite orientation density and dispersion imaging; neuroimaging; white matter.

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Conflict of interest statement

Hughes reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution, including R01AG054069 and R01AG058969. Lockhart reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution. Williams reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution. Espeland reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution; payments to him from Boehringer‐Ingelheim; and support from the DSMB for Jackson Heart, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Kaiser Permanente, Washington Health Research Institute. Williamson reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947, additional funding from other NIH grants, Biogen, the Centers for Disease Control, and PCORI all to the institution. Bateman reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947, other NIH grants, and funding for the ASPECT 20‐AVP‐786‐306 to the institution. Whitlow reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution. Cleveland reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution. Rogers reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution. Baker reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution. Sachs reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution. Hayden reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution; payments to her from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Alzheimer's Association, and NIH CSR. Yang reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947 and additional funding for other NIH grants to the institution. Craft reports funding for this work from NIH P30 AG072947, additional funding from other NIH grants, and reports disclosures for: vTv Therapeutics, T3D Therapeutics, Cyclerion Inc, and Cognito Inc.

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