JACC: Study reveals early link between brain metabolism and cardiovascular risk

FEBRUARY 15, 2021 /--- -- Researchers have identified a link between brain metabolism, cardiovascular risk and atherosclerosis, which begins before symptoms appear, in a study conducted by the National Cardiovascular Research Centre (CNIC) in collaboration with neuroimaging experts at Santander Bank and the Beta Brain Research Center in Barcelona ( BBRC , Pasqual Maragall Foundation Research Center).
report, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, suggests that interventions in cardiovascular disease can prevent the development of dementia. "
everyone knows the importance of caring for themselves and controlling cardiovascular risk factors," said Dr. Valentín Fuster, director of the CNIC and Mount Sinai Heart Foundation and lead physician at Mount Sinai Hospital and lead author of the study.
to avoid heart attacks, linking these same risk factors to cognitive decline may increase awareness of developing healthy habits early in life.
(Photo: www.pixabay.com) provides more support for the importance of major cardiovascular prevention strategies in middle-income people, a valuable treatment for slowing or even halting brain changes that may lead to future cognitive decline.
vascular disease and the later stages of dementia often occur at the same time, but until now, this association has not been recorded at an early stage.
The CNIC-coordinated study, led by Dr. Marta Cortés Canteli, showed that atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factors had been shown to be associated with low metabolism in the brain region in middle age, years before any clinical signs appeared, which was associated with future development of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease.
neurodegenerative diseases often occur at the same time as the advanced stages of vascular disease, and recent studies have established a strong link between cognitive decline and many cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol.
imaging using a positive electron emission fault scan (PET), the team quantified the brain metabolism of more than 500 participants in the PESA-CNIC-Santander study.
the average age of the participants was 50 years old and had no symptoms, but there was already evidence of atherosclerosis.
PESA-CNIC-Santander, led by Dr. Valentín Fuster, is a forward-looking study of more than 4,000 asymptomatic middle-year participants who have conducted detailed assessments of the presence and progression of subclinical atherosclerosis since 2010.
new study sheds light on the link between high risk of cardiovascular events and low brain metabolism.
when the brain's metabolism declines, the brain's ability to deal with adverse events can be impaired," he said.
depending on the affected brain region, this can lead to a range of different problems," explained the study's lead author, CNIC researcher Dr Cortés Cantli.
miguel Servet researcher.
Dr Cortés Canteli said: "We found that middle-income people with a healthy surface actually had higher cardiovascular risk, and participants with high cardiovascular risk had the same metabolic brain region as those with Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that these people may be more susceptible than normal people.
believe that cardiovascular risk factors affect the large blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the brain, as well as small blood vessels in the brain.
the largest study to date in a healthy middle-age population and could mark a paradigm shift in understanding the link between blood vessels and brain disease, the authors said.
the most significantly related to brain metabolic decline in alterable cardiovascular risk factors, the researchers found that high blood pressure had the greatest impact.
Fuster said: "We found that risk factors for damage to the heart and aorta, particularly high blood pressure, were associated with a decrease in brain metabolism in the years before symptoms appeared.
" (Bioon.com) Source: Scientists open early links between cardiovascular risk risk and brain metabolism Original source: Jose A. de la Chica et al. Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2020.12.002