Summary: A new study reveals that common cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, known to damage brain blood vessels in younger populations, are not linked to increased brain vessel harm in individuals aged 90 and older.
Researchers analyzed data from 267 participants in the National Institute on Aging’s 90+ Study and found no significant relationship between these risk factors and brain changes in this age group. Interestingly, blood pressure-lowering medications such as diuretics and beta blockers were associated with reduced risks of specific brain conditions, suggesting potential protective effects.
These findings challenge traditional assumptions about vascular health in the oldest-old and highlight the complexity of aging brain health.
Key Facts:
- Risk Factor Impact: High blood pressure and diabetes do not predict brain blood vessel damage in individuals aged 90 and older.
- Medication Benefits: Diuretics and beta blockers were linked to lower risks of atherosclerosis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy, respectively.
- Aging Complexity: Findings suggest that brain health factors may change with age, emphasizing the need for tailored treatments.
Source: UC Irvine
A study led by the University of California, Irvine has found cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which are known to contribute to brain blood vessel damage in younger populations, not to be associated with an increased risk of such harm in individuals 90 and older.
The work, published online today in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, suggests that the relationship among blood pressure, vascular health and brain aging is more complex than previously thought.
“For decades, we’ve known that factors like high blood pressure and diabetes can injure blood vessels in the brain, increasing the risk for cognitive decline and dementia. However, our research found that these patterns may change as people age,” said corresponding author Dr. Ravi Rajmohan, UC Irvine clinical instructor of neurology.
“Even more intriguing, the use of blood pressure-lowering medication in this 90-plus group was linked to a lower likelihood of specific types of brain damage.”
Team members analyzed the relationship between cardiovascular-related changes in the brain and self-reported vascular risk factors or use of heart-related medications by examining data from 267 participants in the National Institute on Aging’s 90+ Study, one of the largest and most comprehensive research projects on the oldest-old population.
They applied statistical models that accounted for age, sex and education and found that the presence of brain changes was not linked to traditional risk factors like high blood pressure or diabetes.
In addition, they discovered that certain medications showed potential proactive effects. Diuretics were linked to a lower likelihood of atherosclerosis, commonly called “hardening of the arteries,” and beta blockers and vasodilators were associated with reduced odds of cerebral amyloid angiopathy, the buildup of a type of proteins in brain blood vessels.
“Our findings challenge the idea that traditional vascular risk factors are always harmful to brain health in the 90-plus population,” Rajmohan said.
“Our findings may reflect the effectiveness of treatment for those conditions, or they could be influenced by survival bias, as individuals with untreated or severe risk factors may not live into their 90s.
“Further research is needed to explore whether blood pressure-lowering medications could directly reduce the risk of brain blood vessel damage and dementia under specific circumstances. Such knowledge could lead to more personalized advice for managing blood pressure and improving brain health outcomes.”
Team members also included Dr. Claudia Kawas, professor of neurology and neurobiology & behavior; Maria Corrada, professor in residence of neurology; Annlia Paganini Hill, project scientist in neurology; and biochemistry graduate student Joey Wong – all from UC Irvine – as well as Dr. Thomas Montine, chair pathology at Stanford University; Zeinah Al-Darsani, epidemiology and biostatistics graduate student at Temple University’s College of Public Health; and Chu-Ching Ho, computer science graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Funding: This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging under grant AG021055 and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Consortium under grant P30AGO66519.
About this aging and neuroscience research news
Author: Patricia Harriman
Source: UC Irvine
Contact: Patricia Harriman – UC Irvine
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Vascular risk factors and cerebrovascular pathologic changes on autopsy: The 90+ Study” by Ravi Rajmohan et al. Alzheimer’s & Dementia
Abstract
Vascular risk factors and cerebrovascular pathologic changes on autopsy: The 90+ Study
INTRODUCTION
Cerebrovascular pathologic changes (CVPC) are prevalent and associated with dementia in those ≥ 90 years. However, CVPC associations to traditional risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia) are variable. We hypothesized that neither traditional risk factors nor related medications would be associated with CVPC presence.
METHODS
In autopsy volunteers from The 90+ Study, odds ratios (OR) of CVPC presence to self-reported vascular risk factors and cardiovascular medication classes were calculated using logistic regressions adjusted for age of death, sex, and education.
RESULTS
In 267 participants (mean age at death 98 (±3.5) years; 75% female), CVPC presence was not related to traditional risk factors. Lower odds of atherosclerosis with diuretics [OR 0.55] and lower odds of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) with B-blocker [OR 0.57] or vasodilator [OR 0.40] use were observed.
DISCUSSION
Our findings suggest that vascular risk factors are not risk factors for CVPC at this age, medications have mitigated risks, or survival bias obscures associations.