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Metabolic and vascular risk factors are associated with reduced cerebral blood flow and poorer midlife memory

Bradley J MacIntosh1,2,3, Zahra Shirzadi1,2,3, Sarah Atwi1,2,3

  • 1Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Human Brain Mapping
|October 26, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Midlife metabolic and vascular risk factors are linked to reduced brain blood flow and may precede cognitive decline. These factors, including obesity and poor glucose control, impact brain health in middle-aged adults.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cardiovascular Science
  • Metabolic Science

Background:

  • Midlife metabolic and vascular risk factors (MVRFs) are associated with cognitive decline and dementia.
  • The precise mechanisms linking MVRFs to cognitive performance remain unclear.
  • Understanding these links is crucial for early intervention and dementia prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the associations between MVRFs and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF).
  • To examine the relationship between MVRFs and verbal learning and memory in middle-aged adults.
  • To explore the mediating role of CBF in the association between MVRFs and memory.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 451 middle-aged adults from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study.
  • Partial least squares (PLS) analysis to identify MVRF profiles.
  • Assessment of regional CBF across 93 regions of interest and verbal memory (Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test).

Main Results:

  • An adverse MVRF profile, characterized by obesity, dysregulated glucose homeostasis, and unfavorable lipid profiles, was associated with lower regional CBF.
  • These associations were particularly evident in participants on hypertension medication.
  • While MVRFs were linked to memory performance, CBF did not significantly mediate this relationship.

Conclusions:

  • An adverse midlife metabolic profile is associated with widespread reductions in cerebral blood flow.
  • These findings suggest a potential pathway through which metabolic disturbances may contribute to cognitive impairment and incipient dementia.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the complex interplay between metabolic health, vascular function, and cognitive trajectories.
Keywords:
blood pressurebody mass indexcerebral blood flowfasting glucosememorypartial least squaresvascular risk factors

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