Affiliations: [a] Division of Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA | [b] Departments of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Neurology and Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA | [c] San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Adina Zeki Al Hazzouri, PhD, Division of Epidemiology and Population Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, 1120 NW 14th Street, 9th Floor, Miami, FL 33136, USA. Tel.: +1 305 243 9844; E-mail: axz122@miami.edu.
Abstract: Cognitive decline and dementia are a major cause of disability and mortality among older adults. Cross-sectional evidence from observational studies suggests that greater arterial stiffness is associated with worse cognitive performance. These associations have been observed on measures of global cognition and across multiple domains of cognition. Epidemiologic evidence on the association between arterial stiffness and rate of cognitive decline has been less definitive, and very few studies have investigated the risk of developing dementia. This review summarizes the current research on arterial stiffness and cognition, issues around measurement, and the effect that potential intervention might have on the course of cognitive aging. The evidence on pharmacological and non-pharmacological (exercise, nutrition, etc.) interventions in older adults with arterial stiffness is promising. Yet there are no studies or trials that directly evaluate how interventions of arterial stiffness reduce or prevent cognitive impairment and risk of developing dementia. More research is needed to elucidate the causal link between arterial stiffness and cognitive decline and dementia, and to identify whether potential interventions to prevent or reduce arterial stiffness may benefit cognitive health of the elderly.
