P3‐074: Cardiac function is related to maladaptive brain aging in mild cognitive impairment: Preliminary results

Our prior research suggests diminished cardiac output is related to neuropsychological and neuroanatomic abnormalities in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is not yet known if these relations are associated with maladaptive brain aging in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The current study relates cardiac function (cardiac output and ejection fraction) to early cognitive and neuroimaging markers of cerebrovascular and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology among individuals with MCI. 3T cardiac and brain MRI and neuropsychological data were collected on 10 MCI participants free from clinical stroke (62-84 years, 75±7; 46% women). Cardiac output and ejection fraction, determined by cardiac MRI, were related to neuropsychological and neuroimaging markers of vascular (executive functioning, fractional anisotropy) and AD pathology (learning and memory, hippocampal volume). Partial correlations (pr), adjusting for systolic blood pressure and body surface area, suggest that cardiac output is significantly associated with Digit Symbol (pr=0.72, p=0.04), California Verbal Learning Test Long Delay Recall (pr=0.95, p=0.001), Biber Figure Learning Test Trials 1-5 Recall (pr=0.13, p=0.04), and hippocampal volume (pr=0.76, p=0.04). Partial correlations, adjusting for systolic blood pressure, suggest that ejection fraction is significantly associated with Color-Word Interference (pr=-0.66, p=0.05). In all cases, as cardiac function decreased, the integrity of the brain aging phenotype also decreased. Our preliminary data based on a very small sample of MCI patients suggest that cardiac function is related to brain aging phenotypes indicative of early Alzheimer's disease (memory, hippocampal volume) and cerebrovascular changes (executive functioning). Additional cross-sectional data collection and longitudinal follow-up up this cohort will provide essential information in determining if cardiac function is associated with accelerating maladaptive brain aging among older adults at risk for cognitive decline. The successful completion of this research will increase understanding about the complex interrelations between subclinical impairments in cardiac function and cognitive progression in MCI.