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Updated: Jun 30, 2025
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Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
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Associations between vascular health, brain stiffness and global cognitive function
KowsalyaDevi Pavuluri1, John Huston1, Richard L Ehman1
1Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Brain Communications
|March 20, 2024
Summary
Brain stiffness, measured by magnetic resonance elastography, is reduced by vascular brain injury and cardiovascular risk factors. This brain stiffness acts as a key mediator linking vascular damage to cognitive impairment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Vascular Neurology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Vascular brain injury (VBI) causes cognitive impairment through loss of connectivity and microstructural damage.
- Tissue microstructural alterations in VBI occur early, preceding atrophy.
- Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) non-invasively assesses brain mechanical properties, reflecting microstructural integrity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate brain stiffness as a biomarker for VBI.
- To investigate the role of brain stiffness in mediating the effects of vascular dysfunction on cognitive impairment.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 75 participants from the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.
- Brain imaging using 3T MRI with MRE and T1/T2-weighted sequences.
- Voxelwise analysis of MRE data, partial correlation, and mediation analysis to assess associations between brain stiffness, vascular biomarkers (white matter hyperintensities, cardiometabolic condition), and cognition.
Main Results:
- White matter hyperintensities (WMH) negatively correlated with brain stiffness, particularly in periventricular regions.
- Cardiovascular risk factors (cardiometabolic condition) also showed a negative association with brain stiffness.
- Brain stiffness positively correlated with global cognition, independent of amyloid load.
- Brain stiffness significantly mediated the relationship between WMH and cardiometabolic condition with cognitive function.
Conclusions:
- Mechanical alterations in brain tissue, reflected by reduced stiffness, are linked to cognitive dysfunction and VBI.
- Global brain stiffness serves as a significant mediator between vascular disease markers and cognitive performance.
- MRE-based mechanical assessments offer valuable insights into the relationship between vascular health and cognition.
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