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Updated: Mar 29, 2026
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Application of Granger Causality Analysis of the Directed Functional Connection in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment
Published on: August 7, 2017
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Relationship between cardiac autonomic function and cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease.
Zen Nonogaki1, Hiroyuki Umegaki1, Taeko Makino1
1Department of Community Healthcare and Geriatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Geriatrics & Gerontology International
|December 9, 2015
Summary
Cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is linked to heart function. Lower memory performance in AD patients correlated with heightened sympathetic and reduced parasympathetic nervous system activity.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) impacts central nervous and neurotransmitter systems.
- AD affects cognitive and cardiac autonomic functions.
- The relationship between cardiac autonomic function and cognition in AD remains under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between cardiac autonomic function and cognitive function in AD patients.
- To evaluate cardiac autonomic function using heart rate variability (HRV) in relation to cognitive performance.
Main Methods:
- 78 AD patients were analyzed.
- Cardiac autonomic function assessed via heart rate variability (HRV) analysis.
- Multiple linear regression modeled associations between HRV and cognitive domains (global, memory, executive function, processing speed), adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Global cognitive function showed a negative association with sympathetic modulation (LF/HF ratio).
- Memory performance positively correlated with parasympathetic modulation (HF power) and negatively with sympathetic modulation (LF/HF ratio).
- These findings were independent of age, sex, education, diabetes, hypertension, and cholinesterase inhibitor use.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive function, particularly memory, is significantly associated with cardiac autonomic function in AD.
- Lower cognitive performance in AD is linked to increased cardiac sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity.
- HRV analysis provides insights into the interplay between cardiac autonomic function and cognitive status in Alzheimer's disease.
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