• Bindal Makwana, Ariana Tart-Zelvin, Xiaomeng Xu, John J Gunstad, Denise M Cote, Athena Poppas, Ronald A Cohen, and Lawrence H Sweet.
• Department of Psychology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID.
• J Neuroimaging. 2020 Nov 1; 30 (6): 851-856.

Background And PurposeCardiovascular disease (CVD) encompasses a range of disorders that affect health and functioning in older adults. While cognitive declines have been linked to both cardiovascular and cerebral blood perfusion, protective neurovascular mechanisms raise the question whether cerebrovascular perfusion differs as a function of cardiovascular health status. The present study examined whether cerebrovascular perfusion significantly differs between healthy older adults with and without diagnosed CVD. The study also examined whether previously documented sex differences in cerebral perfusion would be replicated.MethodsTwenty CVD patients without significant heart failure and 39 healthy controls were recruited to undergo a comprehensive assessment, including an interview, echocardiogram, and magnetic resonance imaging). Arterial spin labeling was used to quantify cerebral blood perfusion.ResultsBoth groups exhibited mean left ventricular ejection fractions that fell within normal limits. In line with previous research, women exhibited significantly higher cerebral perfusion than men. There were no significant group differences in whole brain cerebrovascular perfusion, regional perfusion, or white matter perfusion by patient status after accounting for sex and age.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the effects of mild CVD on cerebrovascular perfusion are minimal. Future studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms involved in maintaining cerebrovascular perfusion in the context of altered peripheral perfusion and to determine whether this finding extends to more acute or severe CVD.© 2020 American Society of Neuroimaging.

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