Summary: A recent research reveals that people over 90 and older are not related to increased mental vessel harm from frequent cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, which are known to harm brain blood vessels in younger populations.
No significant association between these risk factors and mental adjustments in this age group was found when researchers examined data from 267 members in the National Institute on Aging’s 90+ Study. Ironically, body pressure-lowering medicines such as diuretics and beta blockers were associated with reduced risks of certain mental conditions, suggesting possible protective effects.
These findings challenge conventional notions of older people’s cardiovascular health and show how complicated the older mind is.
Important Facts:
- Effects of the risk factors: 90 and older people’s brain blood vessels are not susceptible to brain damage from high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Medication Benefits: Medicines and beta blockers were linked to lower threats of cholesterol and cognitive amyloid angiopathy, both.
- Aging Complexity: Findings suggest that mental health aspects does change with age, emphasizing the need for customized solutions.
Origin: UC Irvine
A study conducted by the University of California, Irvine found that people 90 and older are not at risk of developing cardiovascular conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, which are known to cause mental blood vessel deterioration in younger people.
The , work, published online now in the journal , Alzheimer’s &, Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association,  , suggests that the relationship among blood pressure, vascular wellness and mental aging is more difficult than originally thought.
We’ve known for decades that head blood vessels can be damaged by factors like diabetes and high blood pressure, increasing the risk of mental decline and dementia. However, our study found that these designs may change as persons age”, said related author Dr. Ravi Rajmohan, UC Irvine clinical professor of neurology.
” Even more amazing, the use of body pressure-lowering treatment in this 90-plus party was linked to a lower probability of certain types of brain damage”.
The findings from 267 participants in the National Institute on Aging’s 90+ Study, one of the largest and most thorough research projects on the oldest-old population, were analyzed by team members to examine the relationship between cardiovascular-related changes in the brain and self-reported vascular risk factors or use of heart-related medications.
They used statistical models that took into account age, sex, and education and discovered that the presence of brain changes was not related to traditional risk factors like high blood pressure or diabetes.
In addition, they discovered that certain medications showed potential proactive effects. A lower risk of atherosclerosis, more commonly known as “hardening of the arteries,” was associated with diuretics, and beta blockers and vasodilators were associated with a lower risk of cerebral amyloid angiopathy, the accumulation of a specific type of proteins in brain blood vessels.
Our findings challenge the notion that brain health in the 90+ population is always harmed by traditional vascular risk factors, according to Rajmohan.
Our findings may reflect the efficacy of those treatments, or they might be influenced by survival bias because people with untreated or severe risk factors may not live into their 90s.
Further investigation is required to determine whether blood pressure-lowering medications can directly lower the risk of dementia and brain blood vessel damage in specific circumstances. This understanding might lead to more tailored recommendations for managing blood pressure and enhancing brain health outcomes.
Team members also included Dr. Claudia Kawas, professor of neurology and neurobiology &, behavior, Maria Corrada, professor in residence of neurology, Annlia Paganini Hill, project scientist in neurology, and biochemistry graduate student Joey Wong – all from UC Irvine– as well as Dr. Thomas Montine, chair pathology at Stanford University, Zeinah Al-Darsani, epidemiology and biostatistics graduate student at Temple University’s College of Public Health, and Chu-Ching Ho, computer science graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Funding: This work was supported by the National Institute on Aging under grant AG021055 and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Consortium under grant P30AGO66519.
About this news about neuroscience and aging
Author: Patricia Harriman
Source: UC Irvine
Contact: Patricia Harriman – UC Irvine
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
The 90+ Study by Ravi Rajmohan and colleagues,” Vascular risk factors and cerebrovascular pathologic changes on autopsy.” Alzheimer’s &, Dementia
Abstract
Vascular risk factors and cerebrovascular pathologic changes on autopsy: The 90+ Study
INTRODUCTION
Cerebrovascular pathologic changes ( CVPC ) are prevalent and associated with dementia in those , ≥ , 90 years. However, CVPC associations to traditional risk factors ( hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia ) are variable. We made the hypothesis that neither conventional risk factors nor related medications would be related to CVPC presence.
METHODS
In autopsy volunteers from , The 90+ Study, odds ratios ( OR ) of CVPC presence to self-reported vascular risk factors and cardiovascular medication classes were calculated using logistic regressions adjusted for age of death, sex, and education.
RESULTS
In 267 participants ( mean age at death 98 , ( ±3.5 ) years, 75 % female ), CVPC presence was not related to traditional risk factors. Lower odds of atherosclerosis with diuretics]OR 0.55] and lower odds of cerebral amyloid angiopathy ( CAA ) with B-blocker]OR 0.57] or vasodilator]OR 0.40] use were observed.
DISCUSSION
Our findings suggest that vascular risk factors are not CVPC risk factors for this age, that survival biases are present, or that medications have reduced risks.
