scholarly journals Sex moderations in the relationship between aortic stiffness, cognition, and cerebrovascular reactivity in healthy older adults

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257815
Author(s):  
Dalia Sabra ◽  
Brittany Intzandt ◽  
Laurence Desjardins-Crepeau ◽  
Antoine Langeard ◽  
Christopher J. Steele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Vascular Diseases ◽  
Aortic Pulse Wave Velocity ◽  
Cerebrovascular Reactivity ◽  
Neuropsychological Battery ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Moderation Model ◽  
Continuous Arterial Spin Labeling ◽  
Cine Phase Contrast ◽  
The Relationship

It is well established that sex differences exist in the manifestation of vascular diseases. Arterial stiffness (AS) has been associated with changes in cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and cognitive decline in aging. Specifically, older adults with increased AS show a decline on executive function (EF) tasks. Interestingly, the relationship between AS and CVR is more complex, where some studies show decreased CVR with increased AS, and others demonstrate preserved CVR despite higher AS. Here, we investigated the possible role of sex on these hemodynamic relationships. Acquisitions were completed in 48 older adults. Pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) data were collected during a hypercapnia challenge. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) data was acquired using cine phase contrast velocity series. Cognitive function was assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, and a composite score for EF was calculated using four cognitive tests from the neuropsychological battery. A moderation model test revealed that sex moderated the relationship between PWV and CVR and PWV and EF, but not between CVR and EF. Together, our results indicate that the relationships between central stiffness, cerebral hemodynamics and cognition are in part mediated by sex.

scholarly journals Sex moderates the relationship between aortic stiffness, cognition and cerebrovascular reactivity in healthy older adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia Sabra ◽  
Brittany Intzandt ◽  
Laurence Desjardins-Crepeau ◽  
Antoine Langeard ◽  
Christopher J. Steele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Cerebrovascular Reactivity ◽  
List Type ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Moderation Model ◽  
Dual Echo ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractIt is well established that sex differences exist in the manifestation of cardiovascular diseases. Arterial stiffness (AS) has been associated with changes in cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and cognitive decline in aging. Specifically, older adults with increased AS show a decline on executive function (EF) tasks. Interestingly, the relationship between AS and CVR is more complex, where some studies show decreased CVR with increased AS, and others demonstrate preserved CVR despite higher AS. We investigated the possible role of sex and hematocrit (HCT) on these hemodynamic relationships. Acquisitions were completed in 48 older adults. Dual-echo pCASL data were collected during a hypercapnia challenge. Aortic PWV data was acquired using cine phase contrast velocity series. A moderation model test revealed that sex moderated the relationship between PWV and CVR and PWV and EF. In addition, there was a significant effect of HCT on the sex differences observed in the moderation effect on EF. Together, our results indicate that the relationships between PWV, CVR and EF are in part mediated by sex and HCT.HighlightsThis study investigates the role of sex on cerebrovascular measures of brain health and congitionSex moderates the relationship between PWV, cerebrovascular reactivity and cognitionHematocrit influences the sex differences observed

scholarly journals Enhanced fitness relates to reduced cerebrovascular reactivity and perfusion in a sample of very healthy older adults

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany Intzandt ◽  
Dalia Sabra ◽  
Catherine Foster ◽  
Laurence Desjardins-Crépeau ◽  
Rick Hoge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Quantitative Imaging ◽  
Cerebrovascular Reactivity ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Physiological Outcomes ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractAging is accompanied by decreased grey matter volume (GMV), cerebral blood flow (CBF), and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), where the latter tends to decline the earliest in aging. Enhanced fitness in aging has been related to preservation of GMV and CBF, and in some cases CVR, although there are contradictory relationships reported between CVR and fitness. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of the complex interplay with fitness and GMV, CBF and CVR, it is necessary to study them concurrently. Here, we aimed to disentangle the interactions between these outcomes in healthy older adults. MRI acquisitions collected anatomical, CBF and CVR information in all participants, as well as VO2,max. Results revealed decreased CVR was associated with increased fitness throughout large areas of the cerebral cortex. Within these regions it was found that lower fitness was associated with higher CBF and a slower hemodynamic response to hypercapnia. Overall, results indicate that the relationship between age, cerebral health and cerebral hemodynamics are complex. Future studies should collect other physiological outcomes in parallel with quantitative imaging, such as measures of carbon dioxide sensitivity and autoregulation, to further understand the intricacy of the effects fitness has on the aging brain, and how this may bias quantitative measures of cerebral health.

scholarly journals Normative Data for a Tablet-Based Dual-Task Assessment in Healthy Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxime Lussier ◽  
Kathia Saillant ◽  
Tudor Vrinceanu ◽  
Carol Hudon ◽  
Louis Bherer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Coefficient Of Variability ◽  
French And English ◽  
Task Assessment ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objective The objective of this study is to provide normative data for a tablet-based dual-task assessment in older adults without cognitive deficits. Method In total, 264 participants aged between 60 and 90 years, French and English-speaking, were asked to perform two discrimination tasks, alone and concurrently. The participants had to answer as fast as possible to one or two images appearing in the center of the tablet by pressing to the corresponding buttons. Normative data are provided for reaction time (RT), coefficient of variation, and accuracy. Analyses of variance were performed by trial types (single-pure, single-mixed, dual-mixed), and linear regressions assessed the relationship between performance and sociodemographic characteristics. Results The participants were highly educated and a large proportion of them were women (73.9%). The accuracy on the task was very high across all blocks. RT data revealed both a task-set cost and a dual-task cost between the blocks. Age was associated with slower RT and with higher coefficient of variability. Men were significantly slower on dual-mixed trials, but their coefficient of variability was lower on single-pure trials. Education was not associated with performance. Conclusions This study provides normative data for a tablet-based dual-task assessment in older adults without cognitive impairment, which was lacking. All participants completed the task with good accuracy in less than 15 minutes and thus, the task is transferable to clinical and research settings.

scholarly journals Visual-Somatosensory Integration and Balance: Evidence for Psychophysical Integrative Differences in Aging

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannette R. Mahoney ◽  
Roee Holtzer ◽  
Joe Verghese
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Multisensory Processing ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Static Balance ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Stance Time ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
The Relationship

Research detailing multisensory integration (MSI) processes in aging and their association with clinically relevant outcomes is virtually non-existent. To our knowledge, the relationship between MSI and balance has not been well-established in aging. Given known alterations in unisensory processing with increasing age, the aims of the current study were to determine differential behavioral patterns of MSI in aging and investigate whether MSI was significantly associated with balance and fall-risk. Seventy healthy older adults ( years; 58% female) participated in the current study. Participants were instructed to make speeded responses to visual, somatosensory, and visual-somatosensory (VS) stimuli. Based on reaction times (RTs) to all stimuli, participants were classified into one of two groups (MSI or NO MSI), depending on their MSI RT benefit. Static balance was assessed using mean unipedal stance time. Overall, results revealed that RTs to VS stimuli were significantly shorter than those elicited to constituent unisensory conditions. Further, the current experimental design afforded differential patterns of multisensory processing, with 75% of the elderly sample demonstrating multisensory enhancements. Interestingly, 25% of older adults did not demonstrate multisensory RT facilitation; a finding that was attributed to extremely fast RTs overall and specifically in response to somatosensory inputs. Individuals in the NO MSI group maintained significantly better unipedal stance times and reported less falls, compared to elders in the MSI group. This study reveals the existence of differential patterns of multisensory processing in aging, while describing the clinical translational value of MSI enhancements in predicting balance and falls risk.

scholarly journals Exercise Mode Moderates the Relationship Between Mobility and Basal Ganglia Volume in Healthy Older Adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay S. Nagamatsu ◽  
Andrea M. Weinstein ◽  
Kirk I. Erickson ◽  
Jason Fanning ◽  
Elizabeth A. Awick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Exercise Mode ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals DNA methylation and cognitive functioning in healthy older adults

2011 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 744-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga J. G. Schiepers ◽  
Martin P. J. van Boxtel ◽  
Renate H. M. de Groot ◽  
Jelle Jolles ◽  
Frans J. Kok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Folic Acid ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Global Dna Methylation ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Relationship

Long-term supplementation with folic acid may improve cognitive performance in older individuals. The relationship between folate status and cognitive performance might be mediated by changes in methylation capacity, as methylation reactions are important for normal functioning of the brain. Although aberrant DNA methylation has been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, the relationship between DNA methylation status and non-pathological cognitive functioning in human subjects has not yet been investigated. The present study investigated the associations between global DNA methylation and key domains of cognitive functioning in healthy older adults. Global DNA methylation, defined as the percentage of methylated cytosine to total cytosine, was measured in leucocytes by liquid chromatography–MS/MS, in 215 men and women, aged 50–70 years, who participated in the Folic Acid and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (FACIT) study (clinical trial registration number NCT00110604). Cognitive performance was assessed by means of the Visual Verbal Word Learning Task, the Stroop Colour-Word Interference Test, the Concept Shifting Test, the Letter–Digit Substitution Test and the Verbal Fluency Test. Using hierarchical linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, level of education, alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, erythrocyte folate concentration and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase 677 C → T genotype, we found that global DNA methylation was not related to cognitive performance on any of the domains measured. The present study results do not support the hypothesis that global DNA methylation, as measured in leucocytes, might be associated with cognitive functioning in healthy older individuals.

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