Abstract

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) patients often have poor self-care (SC) and cognitive deficits. Both factors are closely related and require brain control of important skill sets. However, it is unclear if SC or cognition are linked to injury in different brain regions or if SC vs. cognition evaluation differs in the detection of brain damage amounts. Hypothesis: To determine if a measure of SC or cognition detects more brain injury in HF. Methods: Brain diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data were collected from 10 HF (age 56.8±8.1 years; 8 male; LVEF 26.4±11.9% NYHA class II/III) using a 3 Tesla MRI scanner, Self-care was examined with the Self-Care of Heart Failure Inventory (SCHFI), and cognition with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test. Using DTI data, mean diffusivity (MD; higher values=brain injury) maps were used to examine associations between SCHFI (maintenance and confidence subscales) and MoCA in HF subjects using partial correlation procedures (covariates: age and gender; uncorrected threshold p<0.005). Results: Significant negative correlations between MD and confidence scores emerged in the prefrontal cortex. hippocampus, amygdala, anterior and posterior cingulate, anterior corpus callosum, mid and posterior thalamus, posterior insula, putamen, inferior temporal lobe, and cerebral vermis, and between MD and maintenance scores in the right putamen, external and internal capsule, and right inferior temporal lobe (Figure). Significant negative correlations were observed between MD and MoCA scores in the prefrontal cortex, occipital cortex, cerebellum, and mid-inferior temporal lobe (Figure). Conclusions: HF subjects show more wide-spread and significant correlations between regional MD values/brain injury and SCHFI scores compared to MoCA values. The findings suggest that damage in cognitive and decision-making control sites better correlate with SCHFI over MoCA scores.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.