Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Physiol Rep. 2021 Mar;9(6):e14819. doi: 10.14814/phy2.14819.
Although there are moderating effects of race on blood pressure (BP) and brain health in older adults, it is currently unknown if these race-related differences in cardiovascular and associated brain function are also present in younger adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interaction between race and BP on brain health in younger African (AA) and Caucasian Americans (CA).
We studied 971 younger adults (29.1 ± 3.5 years; 180 AAs and 791 CAs) who volunteered to participate in the Human Connectome Project. Cognitive composite scores, brain volume, and cortical thickness using MRI were cross-sectionally assessed. ANCOVA was used to examine interactions between race and mean arterial pressure (MAP) on cognitive test scores and brain structure.
After controlling for age, sex, education, and BMI, there were significant Race × MAP interaction effects on cognitive composite scores and cortical thickness. Among AAs but not CAs, as MAP increased, both global cognitive performance and entorhinal cortex (ERC) thickness decreased.
MAP was an important moderator of racial differences in cognitive performance and ERC thickness. Our findings suggest that young AAs may carry a greater hypertension-associated risk for cognitive brain health deficit. Interventions that address early signs of hypertension in AAs are needed to determine if the racial disparities in BP-related brain health in late adulthood can be reduced.
尽管种族对老年人的血压（BP）和大脑健康有调节作用，但目前尚不清楚这种与心血管相关的大脑功能的种族差异是否也存在于年轻成年人中。本研究旨在探讨年轻的非裔美国人和高加索裔美国人（CA）中种族与 BP 对大脑健康的相互作用。
我们研究了 971 名年轻成年人（29.1±3.5 岁；180 名非裔美国人和 791 名高加索裔美国人），他们自愿参加了人类连接组计划。使用 MRI 评估认知综合评分、脑容量和皮质厚度。采用协方差分析（ANCOVA）检验种族和平均动脉压（MAP）对认知测试评分和脑结构的交互作用。
在控制年龄、性别、教育程度和 BMI 后，种族和 MAP 之间存在显著的交互作用，对认知综合评分和皮质厚度有影响。在非裔美国人中，但不在高加索裔美国人中，随着 MAP 的升高，整体认知表现和内嗅皮质（ERC）厚度都降低。
MAP 是认知表现和 ERC 厚度种族差异的重要调节因素。我们的研究结果表明，年轻的非裔美国人可能面临更大的与高血压相关的认知大脑健康缺陷风险。需要采取干预措施来解决非裔美国人早期高血压的问题，以确定是否可以减少与 BP 相关的大脑健康在晚年的种族差异。
