Functional imaging of working memory and peripheral endothelial function in middle-aged adults

• Published in: Brain and cognition Vol. 73; no. 2; pp. 146 - 151
• Main Authors: Gonzales, Mitzi M., Tarumi, Takashi, Tanaka, Hirofumi, Sugawara, Jun, Swann-Sternberg, Tali, Goudarzi, Katayoon, Haley, Andreana P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01.07.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Aging; Anatomical correlates of behavior; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure; Brachial Artery - diagnostic imaging; Brachial Artery - physiology; Brain - physiology; Brain Hemisphere Functions; Brain Mapping; Cardiovascular disease; Cognition; Diagnostic Tests; Endothelium; Endothelium, Vascular - diagnostic imaging; Endothelium, Vascular - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health Status; Human; Humans; Intelligence; Learning. Memory; Linear Models; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Memory; Memory, Short-Term - physiology; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Neurological Impairments; Neuropsychological Tests; Parietal Lobe - physiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Regression (Statistics); Regression Analysis; Sex Characteristics; Short Term Memory; Task Analysis; Ultrasonography; Working memory; Middle-aged; Cardiovascular disease; Cognition; Working memory; Magnetic resonance imaging; Endothelium; Human; Adult; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Functional imaging
• ISSN: 0278-2626; 1090-2147
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2010.04.007

The current study examined the relationship between a prognostic indicator of vascular health, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and working memory-related brain activation in healthy middle-aged adults. Forty-two participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing a 2-Back working memory task. Brachial artery endothelial-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was assessed using B-mode ultrasound. The relationship between FMD and task-related brain activation in a priori regions of interest was modeled using hierarchical linear regression. Brachial FMD, was significantly related to reduced working memory-related activation in the right superior parietal lobule ( β = 0.338, p = 0.027), independent of age, sex, systolic blood pressure, and full scale IQ ( F(5, 36) = 2.66, p = 0.038). These data provide preliminary support for the association between a preclinical marker of endothelial dysfunction and cerebral hemodynamic alterations in healthy middle-aged adults. Considering the modifiable nature of endothelial function, additional investigations on the prognostic significance of FMD on future cognitive impairment are warranted.