Abstract
To evaluate the association between coronary artery calcium (CAC) and cortical thickness in a large sample of cognitively normal individuals, with special emphasis in determining if the association thickness has regional brain specificity and if it is mediated by white matter hyperintensities (WMH). A total of 512 participants were included in this study. CAC scores were assessed by multi-detector computed tomography. Cortical thickness was measured using a surface-based method. Linear mixed models were used to assess the association between CAC scores and cortical thickness. In fully adjusted models, increased CAC scores were associated with cortical thinning across several brain regions, which generally overlapped with the distribution of default mode network. The association between CAC scores and cortical thickness was significantly stronger in participants with moderate or severe WMH compared to those with none or mild WMH, even though CAC scores were not associated with WMH. In cognitively normal adults, CAC was associated with cortical thinning in areas related to cognitive function. This association was evident after adjusting for multiple coronary artery disease risk factors and for WMH, suggesting that CAC may be more closely related to Alzheimer’s Disease-type disease rather than to cerebral small vessel disease.
Highlights
Characteristic Age Female sex Body mass index (BMI) Total cholesterol high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol Triglycerides Smoking Never Past or current Alcohol Never Past or current Education 0 intracranial volume (ICV) WMH None Mild Moderate Severe Left cortical thickness Hemispheric Frontal Temporal Parietal Occipital Right cortical thickness Hemispheric Frontal Temporal Parietal Occipital evidence that cerebral atherosclerosis is associated with inflammation in the brain which may lead to the deposition of abnormal amyloid and tau proteins[9]
In this study of cognitively normal adults, CAC scores were significantly associated with decreased cortical thickness in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal, precuneus, superior parietal, and left medial prefrontal regions, which largely overlap the distribution of default mode network (DMN)[10]
While CAC scores were not associated with WMH severity and the association between CAC scores and cortical thinning remained after adjusting for WMH, the association of CAC with cortical thickness was more prominent in participants with moderate or severe WMH compared to those with none or mild WMH, suggesting that CAC and WMH synergistically affected cortical thinning
Summary
Characteristic Age (years) Female sex BMI (kg/m2) Total cholesterol (mg/dL) HDL cholesterol (mg/dL) Triglycerides (mg/dL) Smoking Never Past or current Alcohol Never Past or current Education 0 ICV (cm3) WMH None Mild Moderate Severe Left cortical thickness (mm) Hemispheric Frontal Temporal Parietal Occipital Right cortical thickness (mm) Hemispheric Frontal Temporal Parietal Occipital evidence that cerebral atherosclerosis is associated with inflammation in the brain which may lead to the deposition of abnormal amyloid and tau proteins[9]. We evaluated the association between CAC and cortical thickness in a large sample of cognitively normal individuals. We hypothesized that CAC might be correlated with cortical thinning with regional specificity, and their association might be mediated by the presence of WMH
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