title: Cerebral perfusion is associated with white matter hyperintensities in older adults with heart failure.
abstract: Cognitive impairment is common in heart failure (HF) and believed to be the result of cerebral hypoperfusion and subsequent brain changes including white matter hyperintensities (WMHs). The current study examined the association between cerebral blood flow and WMHs in patients with HF and the relationship between WMHs and cognitive impairment. Sixty-nine patients with HF completed the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and underwent echocardiography, transcranial Doppler sonography for cerebral blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral artery, and brain magnetic resonance imaging. Multivariable hierarchical regression analyses controlling for medical and demographic characteristics as well as intracranial volume showed reduced cerebral blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral artery was associated with greater WMHs (β=-0.34, P=.02). Follow-up regression analyses adjusting for the same medical and demographic factors in addition to cerebral perfusion also revealed marginal significance between increased WMHs and poorer performance on the MMSE (β=-0.26, P=.05). This study suggests that reduced cerebral perfusion is associated with greater WMHs in older adults with HF. These findings support the widely proposed mechanism of cognitive impairment in HF patients and prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. Malosco@kent.edu
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Alosco
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brickman
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Spitznagel
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Atul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Narkhede
authors.forename: Erica Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.forename: Naftali
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raz
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Sweet
authors.forename: Lisa H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Colbert
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Josephson
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosneck
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gunstad
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies