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Cerebral perfusion is associated with white matter hyperintensities in older adults with heart failure

Michael L Alosco1, Adam M Brickman, Mary Beth Spitznagel

  • 1Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. Malosco@kent.edu

Congestive Heart Failure (Greenwich, Conn.)
|March 23, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Reduced cerebral blood flow in heart failure (HF) patients is linked to more white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in the brain. This may explain cognitive impairment in individuals with HF.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Cardiology
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Cognitive impairment is prevalent in heart failure (HF).
  • It is hypothesized to stem from reduced cerebral blood flow and brain changes like white matter hyperintensities (WMHs).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between cerebral blood flow and WMHs in HF patients.
  • To examine the association between WMHs and cognitive function in HF patients.

Main Methods:

  • Sixty-nine HF patients underwent cognitive assessment (MMSE), echocardiography, transcranial Doppler sonography for middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity, and brain MRI.
  • Multivariable hierarchical regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

  • Reduced middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity was significantly associated with greater WMHs (β=-0.34, P=.02).
  • Increased WMHs showed a marginal association with poorer Mini-Mental State Examination scores (β=-0.26, P=.05).

Conclusions:

  • Reduced cerebral perfusion is associated with increased WMHs in older adults with heart failure.
  • These findings support the proposed mechanism linking cerebral hypoperfusion to cognitive impairment in HF.
  • Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these results.

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