Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 8, 2025
Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
Cognitive changes in prevalent and incident cardiovascular disease: a 12-year follow-up in the Maastricht Aging Study
Syenna H J Schievink1, Martin P J van Boxtel1, Kay Deckers1
1Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNS), Alzheimer Centre Limburg, Maastricht University, Dr Tanslaan 12, PO Box 616 (DRT 12), 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accelerates cognitive decline, particularly in middle-aged individuals. Managing CVD promptly may help delay this decline and preserve cognitive function.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Cardiology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is linked to cognitive decline and dementia risk.
- Limited understanding exists regarding cognitive changes following a first cardiovascular event.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cognitive trajectories in individuals with prevalent and incident CVD.
- To analyze cognitive changes over a 12-year period in the general population.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study with 1823 cognitively healthy participants (aged 24-82).
- Serial cognitive assessments (verbal memory, executive function, processing speed) at baseline, 6, and 12 years.
- Random effects models to analyze the association between CVD and cognitive change.
Main Results:
- Prevalent CVD was associated with greater decline in memory and processing speed at baseline.
- Incident CVD showed a significant decline in these domains between 6 and 12 years.
- Cognitive decline was more pronounced in individuals younger than 65 at baseline, especially with angina or myocardial infarction.
Conclusions:
- Both prevalent and incident cardiovascular disease predict cognitive decline in middle-aged adults.
- Cognitive decline onset appears temporally linked to the vascular event for incident CVD.
- Effective cardiovascular disease management may postpone cognitive decline.
Aims:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been suggested to accelerate cognitive decline and to be a risk factor for dementia, but still little is known about the cognitive course after a first cardiovascular event. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the cognitive trajectories in both prevalent and incident CVD over a 12-year time period in the general population.
Methods And Results:
Cognitively healthy participants (age 24-82 years, n = 1823) of a prospective cohort study were serially assessed at baseline, 6 and 12 years. Verbal memory, executive function, and information processing speed were analysed in adults with prevalent, incident, and no CVD. Random effects models were used to test the association between CVD and change in cognitive function over time. At baseline, participants with prevalent CVD showed more decline in memory and information processing speed than healthy controls. Participants with incident CVD also showed more decline in these cognitive domains, but this was only significant in the follow-up period from 6 to 12 years. Associations were more pronounced in participants aged younger than 65 years at baseline, and in sub-analyses with angina pectoris or myocardial infarction as the most prevalent CVD conditions.
Conclusion:
Prevalent and incident CVD predict cognitive decline in middle-aged individuals. Findings for incident CVD suggest that the onset of decline is linked in time with the vascular event itself. Timely CVD management may delay the onset of decline.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:26Atherosclerosis III: Management
01:30Coronary Artery Disease III: Clinical Manifestations
01:30Coronary Artery Disease I: Introduction
01:27Atherosclerosis II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Tests
01:26Coronary Artery Disease IV: Preventive Measures
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood