P3‐115: Cognition and cerebral neurovascular coupling in the elderly with metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Background: The new Mild Cognitive Impairment criteria have emphasized impairment of episodic memory characteristic of amnesic syndrome of hippocampal type. The concept of "MCI due to Alzheimer's Disease" has been used to identify those symptomatic but nondemented individuals whose primary underlying pathophysiology is AD. The objective of the study was to review episodic memory performance and frequency of abnormality in a sample of elderly subjects previously classified as cognitively intact. Methods: 218 community elderly subjects were selected between 2008 and 2010 for a study of normal aging. Subjects had no significant clinical condition and showed normal cognitive performance considering the inclusion criteria (normal scores in 90% of the applied tests including the Mini Mental + normal functional status + no cognitive complaint). All participants were briefly tested for hearing and vision with quick screenings. Episodic memory was assessed by the free recall of the word list test. Conclusions: Frequency of episodic memory abnormality assessed by a verbal task was relatively high in this sample. Independent on absence of cognitive complaint, it is important to consider episodic memory for those with impaired performance.Background: Chronic degenerative health states are very common in the elderly. According to medical literature there is a correlation between elders' cognitive impairment and arterial hypertension/hyperglycemia which are common diseases in the elderly population worldwide. Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) could be related to brain vascular changes and cognitive impairment in elders. Previous studies have shown impaired brain vascularization as a predictor of dementia. Methods: This study was developed with 36 patients (15 MetS and 21 controls) who completed an entry survey of a one-year longitudinal case-control study. They were assessed using a global geriatric evaluation, a neuropsychological battery, fMRI (BOLD-blood oxygen level dependent). To analyze differences between groups, it was applied Mann-Whitney test to explore cognitive abilities and ANOVA test for BOLD findings. Results: 92 percent were female, mean age, 7464 years, and mean score of the Mini-Mental Status Examination 2662. Regarding cognitive performance, these groups were statistically different in the sustained attention ability which was lower in individuals with MetS than controls (-4.863.5 vs. -2.863.6; P¼0.04, table 1). Both groups showed high levels of oxygen uptake in incongruent tasks in the following areas (figure 1): bilateral anterior cingulate, middle and inferior frontal gyros and bilateral insula. Controls showed more intense neurovascular coupling when stimulus was incongruent than when it was congruent (P<0.05) in: edge of intraparietal sulcus, supramarginal gyrus, precuneus and cuneus (occipital lobe), bilateral cerebellum, fusiform gyrus, right thalamus and pons. Conclusions: Elderly patients with MetS showed both lower sustained attention ability and neurovascular coupling in cognitive tasks in parietal and oc...

Chronic refined carbohydrate consumption measured by glycemic load and variation in cognitive performance in healthy people

“…Poor vascularization of the brain due to degradation of the capillary network by chronic hyperglycemia has also been proposed to explain the disruption of brain cognitive function in relation to refined carbohydrate consumption (Shigaeff et al, 2012).…”

“…A. Whitmer et al, 2005). The mechanisms involved have not yet been elucidated, but impaired vascularization of the brain has been proposed to explain this phenomenon (Shigaeff et al, 2012). The lower impact of BMI on women's cognition has already been discussed (Karlsson et al, 2021), and there is evidence that being overweight may contribute to negative health outcomes differently in men and women (Bohn et al, 2020;Gannon et al, 2019).…”

“…In older people, high refined carbohydrate diets have recently been identified as a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment, with an underlying hypothesis involving the influence of insulin resistance (Gentreau et al, 2020). Poor vascularization of the brain due to degradation of the capillary network by chronic hyperglycemia has also been proposed to explain this phenomenon (Shigaeff et al, 2012). Additionally, dammage from cardiovascular disease, one of the main risk factor of which is chronic high glycemic load diet (Jenkins et al 2021), may also contribute to cognitive decline (Deckers et al 2017;Eggermont et al 2012).…”

Cognitive Impairments and Associated Structural Brain Changes in Metabolic Syndrome and Implications of Neurocognitive Intervention

“…The attention and neuromuscular connections were reduced in cognitive tasks associated with the parietal and occipital lobes in elderly patients with metabolic syndrome. 13 , 14 Based on various study results regarding metabolic syndrome effects on brain structure and consequent changes in brain tissue integrity and decrease of cognitive ability, 4 obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia apparently have the greatest effect in reducing cognitive performance and abilities. 2 , 15 The effects of metabolic syndrome on cognitive skills included a decreased decision-making ability, reduced memory function, and decline in the reward system, and apparently a reduction of cognitive efficiency can decrease the individual’s ability in the attributed skills.…”

“… 1 , 3 , 4 For example, the effects of metabolic syndrome on memory have been shown in several studies, and this cognitive impairment can lead to serious behavioral problems in patients. 14 - 16 …”