Causality between cognitive performance and cardiovascular disease: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Neuroscience
• Genetic Epidemiology

Background:

• Observational studies suggest a link between cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment, but findings are inconsistent.
• Establishing a causal relationship is crucial for understanding disease mechanisms and prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal relationship between cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment using a bidirectional Mendelian randomization approach.
• To explore the directionality of the association between cognitive function and various cardiovascular conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary datasets.
• Employed bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) with inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median methods.
• Conducted sensitivity analyses including Cochran's Q, MR-Egger intercept, and MR-PRESSO to ensure robustness.

Main Results:

• Forward MR analysis indicated that genetically predicted cognitive performance causally influences hypertension, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, coronary atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and myocardial infarction.
• Reverse MR analysis revealed causal effects of hypertension, any stroke, and its subtypes (ischemic, small vessel stroke) on cognitive performance.
• No significant causal link was found between cognitive performance and stroke or its subtypes in the forward analysis.

Conclusions:

• This Mendelian randomization study provides evidence for a causal link between cognitive impairment and increased cardiovascular disease risk.
• Findings underscore the importance of cardiovascular screening in patients with cognitive impairment.
• The study offers novel insights into cardiovascular disease prevention strategies by highlighting the interplay between cognitive and cardiovascular health.