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New research led by the University of Melbourne is helping to shed light on the aging process of the heart and how age-related changes in the cardiovascular system impact brain networks.
While it is commonly understood that the brain and heart are interconnected and both are affected by aging, this study uniquely mapped age-related changes using advanced imaging techniques to uncover how these systems interact over a lifespan.
The study involved data from almost 3,000 healthy adults aged between 46 and 80.
Diseases often impact both the brain and heart simultaneously, as the brain regulates heart activity, while the heart supplies the brain with blood and oxygen.
But it is not yet known why cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration co-occur.
The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, offers new insights into this relationship and highlights poor cardiovascular health as a risk factor for brain-related diseases.
“The inference of our research to the everyday person suggests that cardiovascular exercise may reduce both the risk of heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases, which includes Dementia, Parkinson’s, motor neuron diseases, and other less common diseases which can often overlap,” Professor Andrew Zalesky, Department of Psychiatry in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, said.
Using multiorgan imaging technology and advanced analyses, the team has identified which specific areas of the brain are affected as the cardiovascular system ages.
These areas are involved in specific brain networks, namely the salience, default mode, and somatomotor networks, which play key roles in regulating the autonomic nervous system and heart function.
It is hoped this research could inform clinical interventions and treatments in the future.
“Our findings suggest more effective strategies to predict, manage, and prevent both cardiovascular and brain-related diseases in the aging process,” PhD candidate Yalda Amirmoezzi said.
The research was first published in The Journal of Neuroscience, ‘Characterizing Brain–Cardiovascular Aging Using Multiorgan Imaging and Machine Learning’ by Yalda Amirmoezzi, Associate Professor Vanessa Cropley,Dr Sina Mansour L., Dr Caio Seguin, Professor Andrew Zalesky, and Dr Ye Tian.
