Twenty-Five-Year Change in Cardiac Structure and Function and Midlife Cognition: The CARDIA Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Neuroscience
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiac structure and function changes over time.
• Cognitive function can be influenced by cardiovascular health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if midlife cardiac structure and function, and their 25-year changes, are associated with midlife cognition.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 2,653 participants in the CARDIA study.
• Assessed cardiac structure (LV mass) and function (LVEF, LAV, E/e') via echocardiograms.
• Measured five cognitive domains at midlife and used linear regressions to analyze associations.

Main Results:

• A 25-year increase in left ventricular mass index (LVMi) was linked to lower cognition across most tests.
• Increased left atrial volume index (LAVi) over 25 years was associated with lower global cognition.
• Higher midlife LVMi and LAVi were significantly associated with worse cognitive performance.

Conclusions:

• Midlife cardiac structure and its longitudinal changes are associated with cognitive function.
• Left ventricular diastolic function and its changes are linked to cognition, independent of systolic function.
• Findings emphasize the connection between cardiac health trajectory and cognitive outcomes.