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Cognitive Deficits and Related Brain Lesions in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

Anna Frey1, Roxane Sell2, György A Homola3

  • 1Comprehensive Heart Failure Center Würzburg, University and University Hospital Würzburg, Germany, Würzburg, Germany; Department of Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.

JACC. Heart Failure
|June 11, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Heart failure patients often experience cognitive deficits, particularly in memory and attention. Medial temporal lobe atrophy, not white matter lesions, is linked to this impairment.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Cardiology
  • Neuropsychology

Background:

  • Cognitive deficits are increasingly recognized in patients with heart failure (HF).
  • Understanding the neurological underpinnings of these deficits is crucial for patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the types of brain lesions present in heart failure patients.
  • To determine the relationship between specific brain lesion types and cognitive impairment in HF.

Main Methods:

  • 148 heart failure patients underwent comprehensive cardiological, neurological, and neuropsychological assessments.
  • Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on patients and 288 healthy controls.
  • Medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) and white matter hyperintensities were quantified.

Main Results:

  • Heart failure patients demonstrated significant deficits in reaction time (41%) and verbal memory (46%).
  • Patients exhibited more severe medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) compared to controls (p < 0.001).
  • MTA severity strongly correlated with cognitive impairment, while white matter hyperintensities were similar between groups.

Conclusions:

  • Heart failure patients commonly experience cognitive impairments in attention and memory domains.
  • Medial temporal lobe atrophy is a key factor associated with cognitive decline in heart failure, rather than white matter lesion load.
Abstract

Keywords:
chronic heart failureclinical studycognitive dysfunctionmorphological brain alterations

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