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Systolic blood pressure is associated with abnormal alterations in brain cortical structure: Evidence from a

Ziliang Ye1, Qing Zeng1, Limeng Ning1

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Jiangbin Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, No. 85 Hedi Road, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, China.

European Journal of Internal Medicine
|October 18, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Systolic blood pressure, not other measures, is linked to reduced brain cortical surface area. This Mendelian randomization study clarifies blood pressure

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics
  • Cardiovascular Science

Background:

  • Hypertension is a known risk factor for cerebrovascular diseases and cognitive decline.
  • The precise effects of various blood pressure components on brain structure are not fully understood.
  • Mendelian randomization (MR) offers a robust method to explore causal links between blood pressure and brain changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the causal relationship between different blood pressure components and brain cortical structure.
  • To determine if systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure (PP), or mean arterial pressure (MAP) influence brain cortex surface area and thickness.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for blood pressure and neuroimaging data.
  • Employed Mendelian randomization (MR) with genetic variants for hypertension, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, PP, and MAP.
  • Assessed effects on brain cortex surface area and cortex thickness in large cohorts.

Main Results:

  • Systolic blood pressure showed a significant association with reduced brain cortex surface area (β=-1330.69, p=0.0489).
  • No significant relationship was found between systolic blood pressure and brain cortex thickness (p=0.1287).
  • Hypertension, diastolic blood pressure, PP, and MAP did not show significant associations with either brain cortex surface area or thickness.

Conclusions:

  • Systolic blood pressure is causally associated with abnormal changes in brain cortical structure, specifically reduced surface area.
  • Other blood pressure components like diastolic blood pressure, PP, and MAP do not appear to have a significant impact on brain cortical structure based on this MR analysis.
Abstract

Keywords:
Brain cortex surficial areaBrain cortex thicknessDiastolic blood pressureMean arterial pressureMendelian randomizationPulse pressureSystolic blood pressure

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