Age-Related Arterial Stiffness Linked to Brain Changes: Study

A recent study has found that there is a correlation between age-related central arterial stiffness and increased white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume as well as decreased total brain volume (TBV). The study suggests that increased arterial pulsation may mediate these associations. Researchers suggest that central arterial stiffening is associated with brain aging in older adults. The study explores the relationship between age-related arterial stiffness, brain WMH, and TBV, and whether the effects of central arterial stiffness on WMH volume and TBV were mediated by pulsatile cerebral blood flow (CBF). The study measured central arterial stiffness using tonometry and ultrasonography, WMH and TBV through magnetic resonance imaging, and pulsatile CBF at the middle cerebral artery via transcranial Doppler for 178 adults aged 21‒80 years. The results revealed that advanced age significantly correlated with increases in both carotid arterial stiffness and cfPWV, increases in WMH volume, and decreases in TBV. Carotid β-stiffness showed a positive association with WMH volume, while cfPWV exhibited a negative association with TBV. Furthermore, pulsatile CBF played a role in the relationship between carotid β-stiffness and WMH. These findings provide new insights into the relationship between arterial stiffness and brain aging, and this study contributes valuable knowledge to the field of neuroscience.