SAN DIEGO — While arterial stiffening is increasingly considered an important risk factor for Alzheimers disease (AD) and related dementias, the mechanisms behind that have been poorly understood.
A study in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy notes that carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity has been proposed as a useful method to assess arterial stiffness. Yet, the association of pulse wave velocity with performance across multiple cognitive domains as well as interactions with in vivo AD biomarkers and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype hasn’t been extensively studied, according to researchers from the VA San Diego Healthcare System and the University of California San Diego.
In response, the study team focused on 193 older adult volunteers—167 with normal cognition and 26 with mild cognitive impairment—who underwent comprehensive medical and neuropsychological evaluation at the University of California San Diego Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
With cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers available on 63% of the participants, linear models examined whether pulse wave velocity significantly interacted with APOE ε4 status and CSF AD biomarker positivity—based on the ratio of total tau over beta-amyloid [tau/Aβ42]—on memory, language, executive functioning, attention and visuospatial abilities.
After adjustment for demographic characteristics and vascular risks, results indicate that pulse wave velocity was associated with poorer executive functioning but not the performance in the other cognitive domains.
“When the modifying effects of AD genetic risk and CSF AD biomarkers were considered, pulse wave velocity interacted with APOE genotype and CSF tau/Aβ ratio, such that a stronger association between elevated pulse wave velocity and poorer memory performance was found among those positive for CSF and genetic AD markers.” According to the authors, who add that no significant interaction effects for non-memory cognitive domains were identified.
Researchers advise that their findings support the use of pulse wave velocity, a noninvasive method to assess arterial wall properties, to assess risk for cognitive decline, especially among patients who are APOE ε4 carriers or CSF AD biomarke0r-positive.
- Bangen KJ, Smirnov DS, Delano-Wood L, Wierenga CE, Bondi MW, Salmon DP, Galasko D. Arterial stiffening acts synergistically with APOE genotype and AD biomarker status to influence memory in older adults without dementia. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2021 Jul 1;13(1):121. doi: 10.1186/s13195-021-00851-2. PMID: 34210365; PMCID: PMC8246656.
