Blood vessel function and cognition in elderly patients with atherosclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
Although a strong relationship has been established between vascular disease and cognitive decline, the current challenge is to identify vascular risk factors and mechanisms that are associated with cognitive function before the development of severe dysfunction (eg, vascular dementia). This study was conducted to determine the relationship between blood vessel function and cognition in elderly patients with atherosclerosis.


METHODS
Participants were 14 elderly individuals with atherosclerotic vascular disease, who had no history of stroke, cardiac surgery, or dementia diagnosis. Forearm blood flow was measured before and after brachial artery infusion of 3 vasoactive agents (verapamil, acetylcholine, nitroprusside), and these measures of vessel function were then correlated with neuropsychological performance (total scale score on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status).


RESULTS
Positive correlations were found between neuropsychological performance and vasodilation in response to all 3 agents, with 2 reaching statistical significance (verapamil: rho=0.78, P=0.001; nitroprusside: rho=0.56, P=0.038) and the third showing a strong trend toward significance (acetylcholine: rho=0.49, P=0.076). Correlations between neuropsychological performance and more conventional vascular-related variables were much weaker.


CONCLUSIONS
These data provide preliminary evidence of a relationship between resistance vessel function and neuropsychological performance. With further research, measures of vessel dysfunction may be useful in identifying individuals at risk for cognitive decline and vascular dementia.
Department of Psychiatry, MEB 1-328, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000, USA. david-moser@uiowa.edu
David J
DJ
Moser
Karin F
KF
Hoth
Robert G
RG
Robinson
Jane S
JS
Paulsen
Christine A
CA
Sinkey
Michelle L
ML
Benjamin
Susan K
SK
Schultz
William G
WG
Haynes
D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000209:etiology; D005542:Forearm / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D012307:Risk Factors; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
D014665:Vasodilator Agents