Cardiovascular Disease, the Nitric Oxide Pathway and Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Abstract

Purpose of ReviewIn this review, we summarise the evidence on the association between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cognitive impairment and explore the role of the nitric oxide (NO) pathway as a causal mechanism.Recent FindingsEvidence from epidemiological studies suggests that the presence of CVD and its risk factors in midlife is associated with an increased risk of later life cognitive impairment and dementia. It is unclear what is driving this association but risk may be conveyed via an increase in neurodegeneration (e.g. amyloid deposition), vascular changes (e.g. small vessel disease) and mechanistically due to increased levels of oxidative stress and inflammation as well as changes in NO bioavailability.SummaryCVDs and dementia are major challenges to global health worldwide. The NO pathway may be a promising biological candidate for future studies focused on reducing not only CVD but also risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Increasing Objective Cardiometabolic Burden Associated With Attenuations in the P3b Event-Related Potential Component in Older Adults

“…However, we did not find the right hemispheric predominance as reported by Tchistiakova and Macintosh ( 12 ). The biological mechanisms at play likely relate to oxidative stress and inflammation, blood brain barrier integrity, and neurovascular coupling, along with nitric oxide bioavailability ( 42 , 43 ), and are undoubtedly inter-related.…”

Exogenous hydrogen sulfide alleviates surgery-induced neuroinflammatory cognitive impairment in adult mice by inhibiting NO signaling

“…NO is generated excessively following inflammatory stimulation and may induce neurodegeneration and accelerate cognitive decline and dementia [33]. NO is produced by NOS, and iNOS expression is not restricted to specific cells and represents a major pro-inflammatory and destructive mediator in inflammatory disease [20].…”

Molecular Mechanisms of Endothelial Function and Dysfunction in Human Diseases

“…Dolaşımdaki eritrositler, sıvı kan bileşenleri ve doku metabolik ürünleri arasında fiziksel ve fonksiyonel bir filtre görevi görür. Vasküler sistemin gelişimi sırasında, vaskülogenez ve anjiyogenezin korunmasına ek olarak hücresel adezyon ve damar duvarı inflamasyonunu düzenler (1,2) .…”

“…Bununla birlikte, anjiyoplasti, stentleme, diyabet, hipertansiyon ve immünolojik hasar gibi durumlardan kaynaklanan vasküler yaralanmalar, endotelyal fonksiyon bozukluğuna yol açabilir (4,5) . Vasküler endotelin zarar görmesi ateroskleroz ve kardiyovasküler hastalıkların başlangıcı için patojenik anahtar rolü üstlenir (1) .…”