Older adults with reduced cerebrovascular reactivity exhibit high white matter hyperintensity burden

We examined whether older adults, and APOE4 carriers specifically, with diminished CVR would exhibit higher WMH burden. Independently living older adults (N = 125, mean age = 69.2 years; SD = 7.6; 31.2% male) free of dementia or clinical stroke underwent brain MRI to quantify cerebral perfusion during CVR to hypercapnia and hypocapnia and determine WMH volume. Adjusting for age, sex and intracranial volume, hierarchical regression analysis revealed a significant association between whole brain CVR to hypercapnia and WMH overall [B = -.02, 95% CI (-.04, -.008), p =.003] and in APOE4 carriers [B = -.03, 95% CI (-.06, -.009), p =.009]. Findings suggest deficits in cerebral vasodilatory capacity are associated with WMH burden in older adults and future studies are warranted to further delineate the effect of APOE4 on precipitating WMH.PMID:38579393 | DOI:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2024.03.006

Source: Neurobiology of Aging - April 5, 2024 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Arunima Kapoor Shubir Dutt John Paul M Alitin Isabel J Sible Anisa Marshall Fatemah Shenasa Allison C Engstrom Aim ée Gaubert Xingfeng Shao David Robert Bradford Kathleen Rodgers Mara Mather Danny J J Wang Daniel A Nation Source Type: research