Peripheral And Cerebral Vascular Function With Advancing Age: Evidence Of A Link

Abstract

Peripheral vascular dysfunction has been documented to progress with advancing age, and age itself is the greatest risk factor for developing dementia. However, the likely link between peripheral and cerebral vascular function with aging has yet to be clearly investigated. PURPOSE: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess peripheral and cerebral vascular function in both young and old healthy adults and examine the relationship between the responsiveness of these vascular beds. METHODS: Peripheral vascular function was assessed with passive leg movement (PLM: blood flow ∆ peak and AUC), and cerebral vascular function was assessed by the breath hold acceleration index (BHAI) in 11 healthy adult males (7 old: 68±3 yr; 4 young: 23±3 yr). Doppler ultrasound was used to measure both common femoral artery blood flow and middle cerebral artery velocity. RESULTS: Peripheral vascular function was significantly attenuated in the old adults compared to the young (PLM AUC: 116±83 vs. 424±118 ml, p=0.001; PLM ∆ peak: 378±124 vs. 950±64 ml/min, p<0.001). Cerebral vascular function tended to be lower in the old compared to the young with a large effect size (BHAI: 1.36 ±67 vs. 2.4±1.4; d=0.95, p=0.132). However, even with a relatively limited sample size, there was a significant positive relationship between PLM AUC and BHAI (r=0.65, p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The identification of a relationship between the function of the peripheral and cerebral vascular beds (leg and brain) is an important step toward a better understanding of the global mechanisms of aging on the vasculature and likely age-related dementia.