Resting-state brain dynamics are associated with cardiovascular and metabolic profiles in healthy adults

Cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction plays a significant role in the onset and progression of inflammation and cerebrovascular diseases, often leading to cognitive impairment. Although growing evidence highlights the link between activity in key brain regions and cardiovascular disease events, the relationship between brain dynamics and cardiovascular or metabolic profiles in healthy individuals remains largely unexplored. We performed magnetoencephalography in 29 healthy participants (12 males and 17 females; aged 19-72 yr). Brain activity, calculated as neural activity index (NAI), was determined in 15 regions of interest in each participant. Brachial and central blood pressure (BP), arterial stiffness, and metabolic profile were assessed. Brachial diastolic BP correlated positively with NAI in the right parahippocampal gyrus, insula, and amygdala (across several frequency bands), whereas both central systolic and diastolic BP correlated positively with NAI in the left orbitofrontal cortex (θ and α bands). Arterial stiffness measured via augmentation index correlated negatively with NAI in the left and right medial prefrontal cortex (δ and high-γ bands), whereas pulse wave velocity correlated positively with the left caudate (θ and α bands). NAI in several brain regions showed associations with metabolic parameters (lipid levels, kidney function, and liver proteins), including the middle frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, lateral occipital cortex, precuneus, insula, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus, amygdala, putamen, and thalamus (across several frequency bands). We have shown that activity in key brain regions correlated with cardiovascular and metabolic profiles in healthy individuals, suggesting that regions involved in cognitive and emotional processing may be influenced by or contribute to cardiovascular and metabolic health.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Using magnetoencephalography, we have shown for the first time, a non-task-related association of resting-state brain dynamics with cardiovascular and metabolic profiles in a group of healthy individuals. These findings are important in understanding that even in healthy individuals, early associations between brain function and cardiovascular-metabolic health can be detected before the development of any disease states.