Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Brain Health: Impact on Long‐Range Cortical Connections and Cognitive Performance
Background Cardiovascular risk factor burden in the absence of clinical or radiological “events” is associated with mild cognitive impairment. Magnetic resonance imaging techniques exploring the integrity of neuronal fiber connectivity within white matter networks supporting cognitive processing cou...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.118.010054 |
| _version_ | 1818315144675983360 |
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| author | Barbara K. Marebwa Robert J. Adams Gayenell S. Magwood Alexandra Basilakos Martina Mueller Chris Rorden Julius Fridriksson Leonardo Bonilha |
| author_facet | Barbara K. Marebwa Robert J. Adams Gayenell S. Magwood Alexandra Basilakos Martina Mueller Chris Rorden Julius Fridriksson Leonardo Bonilha |
| author_sort | Barbara K. Marebwa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Cardiovascular risk factor burden in the absence of clinical or radiological “events” is associated with mild cognitive impairment. Magnetic resonance imaging techniques exploring the integrity of neuronal fiber connectivity within white matter networks supporting cognitive processing could be used to measure the impact of cardiovascular disease on brain health and be used beyond bedside neuropsychological tests to detect subclinical changes and select or stratify participants for entry into clinical trials. Methods and Results We assessed the relationship between verbal IQ and brain network integrity and the effect of cardiovascular risk factors on network integrity by constructing whole‐brain structural connectomes from magnetic resonance imaging diffusion images (N=60) from people with various degrees of cardiovascular risk factor burden. We measured axonal integrity by calculating network density and determined the effect of fiber loss on network topology and efficiency, using graph theory. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between cardiovascular risk factor burden, physical activity, age, education, white matter integrity, and verbal IQ. Reduced network density, resulting from a disproportionate loss of long‐range white matter fibers, was associated with white matter network fragmentation (r=−0.52, P<10−4), lower global efficiency (r=0.91, P<10−20), and decreased verbal IQ (adjusted R2=0.23, P<10−4). Conclusions Cardiovascular risk factors may mediate negative effects on brain health via loss of energy‐dependent long‐range white matter fibers, which in turn leads to disruption of the topological organization of the white matter networks, lowered efficiency, and reduced cognitive function. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T09:00:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-af42cc8bb22a44a28f7232c2caaf8292 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2047-9980 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T09:00:52Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease |
| spelling | doaj.art-af42cc8bb22a44a28f7232c2caaf82922022-12-21T23:53:10ZengWileyJournal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease2047-99802018-12-0172310.1161/JAHA.118.010054Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Brain Health: Impact on Long‐Range Cortical Connections and Cognitive PerformanceBarbara K. Marebwa0Robert J. Adams1Gayenell S. Magwood2Alexandra Basilakos3Martina Mueller4Chris Rorden5Julius Fridriksson6Leonardo Bonilha7Department of Neurology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston SCDepartment of Neurology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston SCDepartment of Nursing Medical University of South Carolina Charleston SCDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders University of South Carolina Columbia SCDepartment of Nursing Medical University of South Carolina Charleston SCDepartment of Psychology University of South Carolina Columbia SCDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders University of South Carolina Columbia SCDepartment of Neurology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston SCBackground Cardiovascular risk factor burden in the absence of clinical or radiological “events” is associated with mild cognitive impairment. Magnetic resonance imaging techniques exploring the integrity of neuronal fiber connectivity within white matter networks supporting cognitive processing could be used to measure the impact of cardiovascular disease on brain health and be used beyond bedside neuropsychological tests to detect subclinical changes and select or stratify participants for entry into clinical trials. Methods and Results We assessed the relationship between verbal IQ and brain network integrity and the effect of cardiovascular risk factors on network integrity by constructing whole‐brain structural connectomes from magnetic resonance imaging diffusion images (N=60) from people with various degrees of cardiovascular risk factor burden. We measured axonal integrity by calculating network density and determined the effect of fiber loss on network topology and efficiency, using graph theory. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between cardiovascular risk factor burden, physical activity, age, education, white matter integrity, and verbal IQ. Reduced network density, resulting from a disproportionate loss of long‐range white matter fibers, was associated with white matter network fragmentation (r=−0.52, P<10−4), lower global efficiency (r=0.91, P<10−20), and decreased verbal IQ (adjusted R2=0.23, P<10−4). Conclusions Cardiovascular risk factors may mediate negative effects on brain health via loss of energy‐dependent long‐range white matter fibers, which in turn leads to disruption of the topological organization of the white matter networks, lowered efficiency, and reduced cognitive function.https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.118.010054cardiovascular disease risk factorsconnectomediffusion‐weighted imaginggraph theory |
| spellingShingle | Barbara K. Marebwa Robert J. Adams Gayenell S. Magwood Alexandra Basilakos Martina Mueller Chris Rorden Julius Fridriksson Leonardo Bonilha Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Brain Health: Impact on Long‐Range Cortical Connections and Cognitive Performance Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease cardiovascular disease risk factors connectome diffusion‐weighted imaging graph theory |
| title | Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Brain Health: Impact on Long‐Range Cortical Connections and Cognitive Performance |
| title_full | Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Brain Health: Impact on Long‐Range Cortical Connections and Cognitive Performance |
| title_fullStr | Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Brain Health: Impact on Long‐Range Cortical Connections and Cognitive Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Brain Health: Impact on Long‐Range Cortical Connections and Cognitive Performance |
| title_short | Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Brain Health: Impact on Long‐Range Cortical Connections and Cognitive Performance |
| title_sort | cardiovascular risk factors and brain health impact on long range cortical connections and cognitive performance |
| topic | cardiovascular disease risk factors connectome diffusion‐weighted imaging graph theory |
| url | https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.118.010054 |
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