Association between low-frequency oscillations in blood pressure variability and brain age derived from neuroimaging

We examined the association between low-frequency oscillations in blood pressure variability (LF-BPV) at baseline (past) and 12 years later (concurrent) and BrainAGE gap (an indicator of brain health).

Participants were 110 adults (age range 37-83 years at baseline, 60% female) from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. LF-BPV (0.04-0.15 Hz) was spectrally decomposed from beat-to-beat BP waveforms acquired from finger photoplethysmography. BrainAGE was estimated using a Gaussian-process regression model applied to raw T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. BrainAGE gap was calculated as brain age minus chronological age.

After adjustment for covariates, higher past diastolic LF-BPV was associated with significantly reduced BrainAGE gap (β = -2.24; 95% CI -4.15, -0.32, p = 0.022), as was higher concurrent diastolic LF-BPV (β = -1.90; 95% CI -3.68, -0.12, p = 0.037).

Our findings suggest that low-frequency oscillations in diastolic BPV are associated with slower brain aging relative to chronological age.

Low-frequency oscillations in diastolic blood pressure variability, a marker of vasomotion, are reduced with aging. Low-frequency oscillations in diastolic blood pressure variability are favorably associated with BrainAGE gap, a marker of overall brain health, measured from neuroimaging. Reductions in vasomotion with aging may contribute to accelerated brain aging relative to chronological age.