Targeting arterial stiffening, which can cause atherosclerosis and atheromatosis in particular, early in life, could provide cognitive benefits later in life and delay the onset of dementia.
- Faster aortic stiffening between midlife and old age is linked to markers of poor brain health.
- This reduces lower cerebral blood supply, decreases structural connectivity between different regions of the brain, and impairs memory.
Good in the heart, good in the head. UK researchers from Oxford University and University College London have found that rapid aortic stiffening between ages 40-50 and old age is linked to markers of poor brain health . They presented their results on December 29 in the journal PLOS Medicine.
A poorer memory
The researchers surveyed 542 elderly people who received two measurements of aortic stiffness, at ages 64 and 68. Subsequent cognitive tests and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans assessed the size, connections and blood supply of different regions of the brain. The results revealed that the aorta, which is the largest artery in the body, stiffens with age, and the study found that faster aortic stiffening between midlife and Older age is linked to markers of poor brain health. This notably reduced lower cerebral blood supply, decreased structural connectivity between different brain regions, and impaired memory.
“Our study links heart health to brain health and gives us insight into the potential for reducing aortic stiffness to help maintain brain health in older adults.welcomes Dr. Sana Suri, associate researcher at the Alzheimer Society in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. Reduced connectivity between different regions of the brain is an early marker of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, and preventing these changes by reducing or slowing the stiffening of large blood vessels in our body may be a way to maintain brain health and memory as we age.”
Better support the aging of the population
Medical interventions and lifestyle changes made earlier in life could help slow arterial stiffness, the researchers believe. “In an aging society where the number of people with dementia is expected to almost triple by 2050, identifying ways to prevent or delay its onset could have a significant societal and economic impact.”, they add.
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