Subclinical atherosclerosis and subsequent cognitive function.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To examine the relationship between measures of subclinical atherosclerosis and subsequent cognitive function.

METHOD:

Participants from the Dallas Heart Study (DHS), a population-based multiethnic study of cardiovascular disease pathogenesis, were re-examined 8 years later (DHS-2) with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); N = 1904, mean age = 42.9, range 8-65. Associations of baseline measures of subclinical atherosclerosis (coronary artery calcium, abdominal aortic plaque, and abdominal aortic wall thickness) with MoCA scores measured at follow-up were examined in the group as a whole and in relation to age and ApoE4 status.

RESULTS:

A significant linear trend of successively lower MoCA scores with increasing numbers of atherosclerotic indicators was observed (F(3, 1150) = 5.918, p = .001). CAC was weakly correlated with MoCA scores (p = .047) and MoCA scores were significantly different between participants with and without CAC (M = 22.35 vs 23.69, p = 0.038). With the exception of a small association between abdominal AWT and MoCA in subjects over age 50, abdominal AWT and abdominal aortic plaque did not correlate with MoCA total score (p ≥ .052). Cognitive scores and atherosclerosis measures were not impacted by ApoE4 status (p ≥ .455).

CONCLUSION:

In this ethnically diverse population-based sample, subclinical atherosclerosis was minimally associated with later cognitive function in middle-aged adults.

• Authors: Heidi C Rossetti, Myron Weiner, Linda S Hynan, C Munro Cullum, Amit Khera, Laura H Lacritz
• Journal: Atherosclerosis (Atherosclerosis) Vol. 241 Issue 1 Pg. 36-41 (Jul 2015) ISSN: 1879-1484 [Electronic] Ireland
• PMID: 25957568 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Apolipoprotein E4

Topics

• Adult
• Age Factors
• Aged
• Aorta, Abdominal (pathology)
• Aortic Diseases (diagnosis, ethnology, genetics, psychology)
• Apolipoprotein E4 (genetics)
• Asymptomatic Diseases
• Atherosclerosis (diagnosis, ethnology, genetics, psychology)
• Cognition
• Cognition Disorders (diagnosis, ethnology, psychology)
• Coronary Angiography (methods)
• Coronary Artery Disease (diagnosis, ethnology, genetics, psychology)
• Female
• Genotype
• Humans
• Linear Models
• Longitudinal Studies
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Plaque, Atherosclerotic
• Prognosis
• Risk Factors
• Texas (epidemiology)
• Time Factors
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed