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Brain Structure and Function
Published in: Brain Structure and Function 6/2020

01-07-2020 | Vascular Dementia | Original Article

Hemodynamic latency is associated with reduced intelligence across the lifespan: an fMRI DCM study of aging, cerebrovascular integrity, and cognitive ability

Authors: Ariana E. Anderson, Mirella Diaz-Santos, Spencer Frei, Bianca H. Dang, Pashmeen Kaur, Patrick Lyden, Richard Buxton, Pamela K. Douglas, Robert M. Bilder, Mahtash Esfandiari, Karl J. Friston, Usha Nookala, Susan Y. Bookheimer

Published in: Brain Structure and Function | Issue 6/2020

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Abstract

Changes in neurovascular coupling are associated with both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia in later life, but this may be confounded by cerebrovascular risk. We hypothesized that hemodynamic latency would be associated with reduced cognitive functioning across the lifespan, holding constant demographic and cerebrovascular risk. In 387 adults aged 18–85 (mean = 48.82), dynamic causal modeling was used to estimate the hemodynamic response function in the left and right V1 and V3-ventral regions of the visual cortex in response to a simple checkerboard block design stimulus with minimal cognitive demands. The hemodynamic latency (transit time) in the visual cortex was used to predict general cognitive ability (Full-Scale IQ), controlling for demographic variables (age, race, education, socioeconomic status) and cerebrovascular risk factors (hypertension, alcohol use, smoking, high cholesterol, BMI, type 2 diabetes, cardiac disorders). Increased hemodynamic latency in the visual cortex predicted reduced cognitive function (p < 0.05), holding constant demographic and cerebrovascular risk. Increased alcohol use was associated with reduced overall cognitive function (Full Scale IQ 2.8 pts, p < 0.05), while cardiac disorders (Full Scale IQ 3.3 IQ pts; p < 0.05), high cholesterol (Full Scale IQ 3.9 pts; p < 0.05), and years of education (2 IQ pts/year; p < 0.001) were associated with higher general cognitive ability. Increased hemodynamic latency was associated with reduced executive functioning (p < 0.05) as well as reductions in verbal concept formation (p < 0.05) and the ability to synthesize and analyze abstract visual information (p < 0.01). Hemodynamic latency is associated with reduced cognitive ability across the lifespan, independently of other demographic and cerebrovascular risk factors. Vascular health may predict cognitive ability long before the onset of dementias.
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Metadata
Title
Hemodynamic latency is associated with reduced intelligence across the lifespan: an fMRI DCM study of aging, cerebrovascular integrity, and cognitive ability
Authors
Ariana E. Anderson
Mirella Diaz-Santos
Spencer Frei
Bianca H. Dang
Pashmeen Kaur
Patrick Lyden
Richard Buxton
Pamela K. Douglas
Robert M. Bilder
Mahtash Esfandiari
Karl J. Friston
Usha Nookala
Susan Y. Bookheimer
Publication date
01-07-2020
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Brain Structure and Function / Issue 6/2020
Print ISSN: 1863-2653
Electronic ISSN: 1863-2661
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-020-02083-w

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