SNAP MRI Reveals Association Between Distal Cerebral Arterial Flow and Cognitive Function in an Aging Population

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Cerebrovascular Health
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Impaired blood flow is a key factor in cognitive decline and dementia.
• Cerebral distal arterial flow measured by SNAP MRI correlates with cognitive improvement in atherosclerosis patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of SNAP-based measurements for evaluating cerebrovascular function in an aging population.
• To investigate the relationship between SNAP-derived distal cerebral arterial flow (dCAF) and cognitive status.

Main Methods:

• Neurovascular MRI data acquired from 36 aging participants (cognitively unimpaired and impaired).
• Quantification of white matter hyperintensities (WMH), cerebral blood flow (CBF), and dCAF index using SNAP MRI.
• Cognitive function assessed via the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).

Main Results:

• The dCAF index differed significantly between cognitively unimpaired and impaired groups.
• A significant correlation was found between the dCAF index and RBANS total scores.
• CBF correlated with dCAF, but neither CBF nor WMH showed significant correlation with cognitive scores.

Conclusions:

• SNAP MRI-derived dCAF is a valuable metric for assessing cognition-related cerebrovascular conditions in aging individuals.
• dCAF may serve as a potential biomarker for cognitive impairment linked to cerebrovascular dysfunction.