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Imaging Vital and Non-vital Brain Pericytes in Brain Slices following Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
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Cerebral perfusion features linking subclinical cardiac and aortic dysfunction to vascular brain injury

Ye Zhang1, Timothy M Hughes2,3, Wenxin Zhang1

  • 1Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Alzheimer'S & Dementia : the Journal of the Alzheimer'S Association
|August 21, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Subclinical cardiovascular issues are linked to reduced cerebral blood flow and delayed transit time, increasing white matter hyperintensity burden. Impaired brain perfusion may explain how heart dysfunction leads to cerebrovascular injury.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular science
  • Neuroimaging
  • Cerebrovascular health

Background:

  • Subclinical cardiovascular remodeling can affect cerebral hemodynamics.
  • The specific perfusion features linking cardiovascular dysfunction to dementia risk are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between subclinical cardiac and aortic dysfunction and cerebral perfusion.
  • To determine if impaired cerebral perfusion mediates the relationship between cardiovascular dysfunction and cerebrovascular injury.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized cardiac MRI, arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI, and structural brain MRI in 1748 UK Biobank participants.
  • Analyzed six cardiac MRI biomarkers and assessed cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial transit time (ATT).

Main Results:

  • Subclinical cardiac and aortic dysfunction correlated with lower CBF and prolonged ATT.
  • Low CBF and prolonged ATT were associated with significantly increased white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden.
  • CBF and ATT jointly mediated 53% of the link between cardiovascular dysfunction and WMH.

Conclusions:

  • Impaired cerebral perfusion, characterized by reduced volume and delayed timing, appears to be a key mechanism.
  • This mechanism connects subclinical cardiovascular dysfunction to brain vascular injury, potentially contributing to cognitive decline.
Abstract

Keywords:
arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imagingarterial transit timecardiac magnetic resonance imagingcerebral blood flowcerebral perfusionsubclinical cardiovascular dysfunctionwhite matter hyperintensity

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