Carotid artery intima-media thickness and cognition in cardiovascular disease

Andreana P Haley; Daniel E Forman; Athena Poppas; Karin F Hoth; John Gunstad; Angela L Jefferson; Robert H Paul; Albert S.H Ler; Lawrence H Sweet; Ronald A Cohen

doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2006.10.032

Back

Carotid artery intima-media thickness and cognition in cardiovascular disease

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Carotid artery intima-media thickness and cognition in cardiovascular disease

Andreana P Haley, Daniel E Forman, Athena Poppas, Karin F Hoth, John Gunstad, Angela L Jefferson, Robert H Paul, Albert S.H Ler, Lawrence H Sweet and Ronald A Cohen

International journal of cardiology, Vol.121(2), pp.148-154

2007

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2006.10.032

PMCID: PMC2042538

PMID: 17196687

Files and links (1)

url

http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2006.10.032View

Open Access

Abstract

Increased carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) is a non-invasive marker of systemic arterial disease. Increased IMT has been associated with atherosclerosis, abnormal arterial mechanics, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Given evidence of a relationship between cardiovascular health and attention-executive-psychomotor functioning, the purpose of this study was to examine IMT in relation to neuropsychological test performance in patients with a variety of cardiovascular diagnoses.\nOne hundred and nine participants, ages 55 to 85, underwent neuropsychological assessment and B-mode ultrasound of the left common carotid artery. IMT was calculated using an automated algorithm based on a validated edge-detection technique. The relationship between IMT and measures of language, memory, visual–spatial abilities and attention-executive-psychomotor functioning was modeled using hierarchical linear regression analyses adjusted for age, education, sex, cardiovascular risk, current systolic blood pressure, and history of coronary artery disease (CAD).\nIncreased IMT was associated with significantly lower performance in the attention-executive-psychomotor domain (IMT beta\n=\n−\n0.26,\np\n<\n.01), independent of age, education, sex, cardiovascular risk, current systolic blood pressure, and CAD (\nF(10,100)\n=\n3.61,\np\n<\n.001). IMT was not significantly related to language, memory, or visual–spatial abilities.\nOur findings suggest that, in patients with cardiovascular disease, IMT may be associated with the integrity of frontal subcortical networks responsible for attention-executive-psychomotor performance. Future studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms by which IMT affects cognition and examine potential interactions between increased IMT and other measures of cardiovascular health such as blood pressure variability, cardiac systolic performance, and systemic perfusion.

IMT

Cognition

B-mode ultrasound

Cardiovascular diseases

Carotid arteries

Atherosclerosis

Details

Title: Subtitle: Carotid artery intima-media thickness and cognition in cardiovascular disease
Creators: Andreana P Haley - Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI, United States
Daniel E Forman - Division of Cardiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Care, VAMC of Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
Athena Poppas - Department of Cardiology, Rhode Island Medical Center, Providence, RI, United States
Karin F Hoth - Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI, United States
John Gunstad - Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
Angela L Jefferson - Alzheimer's Disease Center, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
Robert H Paul - Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO, United States
Albert S.H Ler - Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
Lawrence H Sweet - Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI, United States
Ronald A Cohen - Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence, RI, United States
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: International journal of cardiology, Vol.121(2), pp.148-154
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2006.10.032
PMID: 17196687
PMCID: PMC2042538
NLM abbreviation: Int J Cardiol
ISSN: 0167-5273
eISSN: 1874-1754
Publisher: Elsevier Ireland Ltd
Language: English
Date published: 2007
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984066387102771

Metrics

22 Record Views

65 Times Cited - Web of Science