Cardiometabolic determinants of early and advanced brain alterations: Insights from conventional and novel MRI...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Science

Background:

• Cardiometabolic risk factors are implicated in the development of brain diseases such as dementia and depression.
• The precise mechanisms by which these risk factors impact the brain remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize current evidence on the associations between cardiometabolic risk factors and subtle brain changes.
• To explore the utility of advanced Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging techniques in detecting early brain alterations.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review of existing scientific literature.
• Focus on studies utilizing advanced MR imaging, including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and functional MRI (fMRI).
• Analysis of associations between specific cardiometabolic risk factors and brain MRI measures.

Main Results:

• Strong evidence links hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), physical inactivity, central obesity, and hypertension to both structural and functional brain alterations.
• The association between dyslipidemia (abnormal blood lipid levels) and brain changes is less clear from current evidence.
• Advanced MR imaging reveals subtle brain changes potentially indicative of early disease development.

Conclusions:

• Cardiometabolic health significantly influences brain structure and function.
• Hyperglycemia, inactivity, obesity, and hypertension are key factors associated with brain alterations.
• Longitudinal studies employing advanced neuroimaging are crucial for establishing causality and understanding the early etiology of brain diseases.