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Association of arterial structure and function with incident cardiovascular diseases and cognitive decline

Caroline Robert1, Wei Ying Tan2, Lieng-Hsi Ling3,4

  • 1Department of Pharmacology Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore.

Alzheimer'S & Dementia (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|January 31, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) showed the strongest links to white matter hyperintensities, cardiovascular disease, and dementia. These findings suggest CIMT could serve as a key indicator for predicting these conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Vascular biology and neuroscience
  • Cardiovascular epidemiology
  • Neuroimaging and cognitive aging

Background:

  • Arterial stiffness, including carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), arterial stiffness index (ASI), and pulse pressure (PP), is implicated in cerebrovascular and cardiovascular health.
  • Understanding the specific associations of these vascular markers with brain health and disease is crucial for risk stratification and prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationships between CIMT, ASI, and PP and markers of cerebrovascular disease, cognitive function, and incident cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and dementia.
  • To determine which vascular parameter has the strongest association with adverse health outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized UK Biobank data from 42,711 participants (mean age 64.2 years).
  • Assessed cerebrovascular disease markers (white matter hyperintensities, brain volumes) via MRI.
  • Measured CIMT (ultrasound), ASI (photoplethysmography), and PP (blood pressure).
  • Evaluated cognitive function using a general cognitive ability score (g-score).

Main Results:

  • Elevated CIMT, ASI, and PP were associated with increased white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV).
  • Increased PP was linked to poorer cross-sectional performance in numeric memory, fluid intelligence, and g-score.
  • Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) demonstrated the most robust associations with WMHV, incident CVD, and dementia.

Conclusions:

  • CIMT is a strong predictor of white matter hyperintensities, incident cardiovascular disease, and dementia.
  • CIMT may serve as a valuable alternative endpoint in clinical trials and risk assessment for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events.
Abstract

Keywords:
aortic stiffnesscardiovascular diseasecarotid artery stiffnesscerebrovascular diseasecognitive impairment

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