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Arterial stiffness, cognitive impairment and dementia: confounding factor or real risk?
Author(s) -
Iulita M. Florencia,
Noriega de la Colina Adrián,
Girouard Hélène
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/jnc.14235
Subject(s) - arterial stiffness , dementia , confounding , medicine , risk factor , diabetes mellitus , cognition , cardiology , blood pressure , stiffness , physical medicine and rehabilitation , disease , psychiatry , endocrinology , structural engineering , engineering
Large artery stiffness is a frequent condition that arises with ageing, and is accelerated by the presence of co‐morbidities like hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Although epidemiological studies have indicated an association between arterial stiffness, cognitive impairment and dementia, the precise effects of stiff arteries on the brain remains obscure. This is because, in humans, arterial stiffness is often accompanied by other factors such as age, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and inflammation, which could themselves damage the brain independently of stiffness. Therefore, the question remains: is arterial stiffness a true risk for cognitive decline? Or, is it a confounding factor? In this review, we provide an overview of arterial stiffness and its impact on brain function based on human and animal studies. We summarize the evidence linking arterial stiffness to cognitive dysfunction and dementia, and discuss the role of new animal models to better understand the mechanisms by which arterial stiffness affects the brain. We close with an overview of treatments to correct stiffness and discuss the challenges to translate them to real patient care.This article is part of the Special Issue “Vascular Dementia” .