Dataset Information

Prehypertensive Blood Pressures and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Independently Relate to Cognitive Performance in Midlife.

ABSTRACT:

Background

High blood pressure is thought to contribute to dementia in late life, but our understanding of the relationship between individual differences in blood pressure (BP) and cognitive functioning is incomplete. In this study, cognitive performance in nonhypertensive midlife adults was examined as a function of resting BP and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) responses during cognitive testing. We hypothesized that BP would be negatively related to cognitive performance and that cognitive performance would also be related to rCBF responses within areas related to BP control. We explored whether deficits related to systolic BP might be explained by rCBF responses to mental challenge.

Methods and results

Healthy midlife participants (n=227) received neuropsychological testing and performed cognitive tasks in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner. A pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling sequence assessed rCBF in brain areas related to BP in prior studies. Systolic BP was negatively related to 4 of 5 neuropsychological factors (standardized ?>0.13): memory, working memory, executive function, and mental efficiency. The rCBF in 2 brain regions of interest was similarly related to memory, executive function, and working memory (standardized ?>0.17); however, rCBF responses did not explain the relationship between resting systolic BP and cognitive performance.

Conclusions

Relationships at midlife between prehypertensive levels of systolic BP and both cognitive and brain function were modest but suggested the possible value of midlife intervention.

SUBMITTER: Jennings JR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5524017 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Prehypertensive Blood Pressures and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Independently Relate to Cognitive Performance in Midlife.

Jennings J Richard JR Muldoon Matthew F MF Ryan Christopher C Gach H Michael HM Heim Alicia A Sheu Lei K LK Gianaros Peter J PJ

Journal of the American Heart Association 20170317 3

<h4>Background</h4>High blood pressure is thought to contribute to dementia in late life, but our understanding of the relationship between individual differences in blood pressure (BP) and cognitive functioning is incomplete. In this study, cognitive performance in nonhypertensive midlife adults was examined as a function of resting BP and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) responses during cognitive testing. We hypothesized that BP would be negatively related to cognitive performance and that ...[more]

PMID: 28314796

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Project description:Intraindividual variability (IIV) across neuropsychological measures within a single testing session is a promising marker predictive of cognitive decline and development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have previously shown that greater IIV is cross-sectionally associated with reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF), but not with cortical thickness or brain volume, in older adults without dementia who were amyloid beta (Aβ) positive. However, there is little known about the association between change in IIV and CBF over time. Therefore, we examined 12-month longitudinal change in IIV and interactions of IIV and AD biomarker status on changes in regional CBF. Fifty-three non-demented Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) participants underwent lumbar puncture to obtain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at baseline and neuropsychological testing and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams at baseline and 12-month follow-up evaluation. IIV was calculated as the intraindividual standard deviation across 6 demographically-corrected neuropsychological measures. Pulsed arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI was acquired to quantify CBF and FreeSurfer-derived a priori CBF regions of interest (ROIs) were examined. AD biomarker positivity was determined using a published CSF p-tau/Aβ ratio cut-score. Change scores were calculated for IIV, CBF, and mean neuropsychological performance from baseline to 12 months. Hierarchical linear regression models showed that after adjusting for age and gender, there was a significant interaction between IIV change and biomarker-positivity (p-tau/Aβ+) for change in entorhinal and hippocampal CBF but not for the other ROIs. Specifically, increases in IIV were associated with reductions in entorhinal and hippocampal CBF among individuals who were biomarker-positive (n = 21). In contrast, there were no significant associations between change in IIV and CBF among those who were biomarker-negative (n = 32). Findings remained similar when analyses were performed adjusting for change in mean level of neuropsychological performance. Changes in IIV may be sensitive to changes in regional hypoperfusion in AD-vulnerable regions among AD biomarker-positive individuals, above and beyond demographics and mean neuropsychological performance. These findings provide further evidence supporting IIV as a potential marker of cerebrovascular brain changes in individuals at risk for dementia.

Dataset Information

Prehypertensive Blood Pressures and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Independently Relate to Cognitive Performance in Midlife.

Background

Methods and results

Conclusions

Publications

Prehypertensive Blood Pressures and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Independently Relate to Cognitive Performance in Midlife.

Similar Datasets

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