CEREBROVASCULAR HEALTH: Its major factors in older people?

Brain health deteriorates with age and normal aging, particularly in terms of cerebral blood flow and arterial transit time which are key markers of cerebrovascular health. This decline ultimately impairs cognitive function and limits autonomy.

The study identifies some modifiable factors of these 2 markers of cerebrovascular health in 78 healthy older adults, aged 60 to 81 years and evaluates the relationship between these 2 markers and cognitive function. Initially, researchers hypothesized that markers of better general health, such as better cardiorespiratory fitness, better grip strength, and better gray matter volume, along with age, a healthy BMI and controlled blood pressure would be associated with higher cerebral blood flow and shorter arterial transit time. The analysis reveals that:

• a high BMI is indeed associated with lower overall cerebral blood flow (β = −0.35);
• a high BMI is also associated with a longer overall arterial transit time (β = 0.30);
• the overall arterial transit time increases with age;
• a better cardiorespiratory condition is curiously associated with a longer overall arterial transit time in the parietal and occipital regions;
• However, again surprisinglyneither of the 2 cerebrovascular health factors taken into account in this analysis appears significantly associated with processing speed, working memory or attention.

However, an important conclusion:

Preventing excessive weight gain can help mitigate age-related decline in cerebrovascular health.