Association Between Cardiovascular Health and Cognitive Performance: A Twins Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Cognitive Aging
• Twin Studies

Background:

• The American Heart Association (AHA) set a 20% goal to improve cardiovascular health (CVH) by 2020.
• Ideal CVH is defined by seven modifiable risk factors.
• Prior research suggests a link between ideal CVH and better brain health, but familial factors may confound this association.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between cardiovascular health and cognitive function in male twins.
• To determine if familial factors explain the relationship between CVH and cognitive aging.

Main Methods:

• Examined 272 male twin pairs (544 subjects) from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry.
• Assessed cognitive function using Trail Making tests and Wechsler Memory Scale.
• Scored seven CVH components: smoking, BMI, physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose.

Main Results:

• Higher CVH scores correlated with faster cognitive processing speed (Trail B: -5.6s, p=0.03).
• Improved CVH was associated with better immediate (0.35, p=0.02) and delayed (0.39, p=0.01) story recall.
• Within-pair analyses indicated familial factors largely explained the CVH-cognition association.

Conclusions:

• Better cardiovascular health is significantly associated with enhanced cognitive function across multiple domains.
• Familial factors appear to be key determinants linking cardiovascular health and brain health.
• Early life exposures may influence both cardiovascular and cognitive trajectories throughout life.