Arterial stiffness is associated with prefrontal cortex integrity in ageing

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Arterial stiffness, quantified by pulse-wave velocity (PWV), is associated with cognitive decline and dementia.
• The specific brain structures affected by arterial stiffness remain incompletely understood.
• The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for cognitive functions and may be vulnerable to vascular changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between pulse-wave velocity (PWV) and cortical thickness of the prefrontal cortex (PFC).
• To explore the relationship between arterial stiffness and structural brain changes in older adults with cognitive concerns.

Main Methods:

• 124 older adults (>50 years) with new-onset cognitive concerns underwent carotid-femoral PWV and MRI scans.
• Cortical thickness of the medial, lateral, and total PFC was estimated using FastSurfer.
• Neuropsychological assessments were performed, and analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and cardiovascular factors.

Main Results:

• Higher PWV was significantly correlated with reduced thickness of the total PFC (r=-.290, pFDR=.014), especially the left hemisphere (r=-.338, pFDR=.008).
• Significant associations were observed between PWV and reduced thickness in left medial PFC (r=-.238, pFDR=.014) and all lateral PFC regions.
• These associations persisted after adjusting for age, sex, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first evidence linking higher PWV to reduced PFC cortical thickness in older adults, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
• Arterial stiffening emerges as a potential modifiable risk factor contributing to neurodegenerative and structural brain changes in aging.
• Reduced PFC thickness and increased PWV were both associated with poorer executive function, highlighting the clinical relevance of vascular health for brain aging.