Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, 2900, Edouard-Montpetit, Canada.
Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Université de Montréal, 4545, Chemin Queen Mary, Canada.
J Neurochem. 2018 Mar;144(5):527-548. doi: 10.1111/jnc.14235. Epub 2017 Nov 27.
Large artery stiffness is a frequent condition that arises with ageing, and is accelerated by the presence of co-morbidities like hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Although epidemiological studies have indicated an association between arterial stiffness, cognitive impairment and dementia, the precise effects of stiff arteries on the brain remains obscure. This is because, in humans, arterial stiffness is often accompanied by other factors such as age, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis and inflammation, which could themselves damage the brain independently of stiffness. Therefore, the question remains: is arterial stiffness a true risk for cognitive decline? Or, is it a confounding factor? In this review, we provide an overview of arterial stiffness and its impact on brain function based on human and animal studies. We summarize the evidence linking arterial stiffness to cognitive dysfunction and dementia, and discuss the role of new animal models to better understand the mechanisms by which arterial stiffness affects the brain. We close with an overview of treatments to correct stiffness and discuss the challenges to translate them to real patient care. This article is part of the Special Issue "Vascular Dementia".
大动脉僵硬是一种随着年龄增长而出现的常见情况，并且会因高血压、肥胖和糖尿病等合并症而加速。尽管流行病学研究表明动脉僵硬与认知障碍和痴呆之间存在关联，但动脉僵硬对大脑的确切影响仍不清楚。这是因为在人类中，动脉僵硬通常伴随着其他因素，如年龄、高血压、动脉粥样硬化和炎症，这些因素本身就可以独立于僵硬而损害大脑。因此，问题仍然存在：动脉僵硬是否是认知能力下降的真正风险因素？或者，它是一个混杂因素？在这篇综述中，我们根据人类和动物研究，提供了动脉僵硬及其对大脑功能影响的概述。我们总结了将动脉僵硬与认知功能障碍和痴呆联系起来的证据，并讨论了新的动物模型的作用，以更好地理解动脉僵硬影响大脑的机制。最后，我们概述了纠正僵硬的治疗方法，并讨论了将其转化为实际患者护理的挑战。本文是“血管性痴呆特刊”的一部分。
