Associations between age, sex, APOE genotype, and regional vascular physiology in typically aging adults
Nikou L. Damestani,
John Jacoby,
Shrikanth M. Yadav,
Allison E. Lovely,
Aurea Michael,
Melissa Terpstra,
Marziye Eshghi,
Barnaly Rashid,
Carlos Cruchaga,
David H. Salat,
Meher R. Juttukonda
Affiliations
Nikou L. Damestani
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Corresponding author. 149 Thirteenth Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
John Jacoby
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
Shrikanth M. Yadav
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
Allison E. Lovely
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
Aurea Michael
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
Melissa Terpstra
Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Marziye Eshghi
MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA, USA
Barnaly Rashid
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Carlos Cruchaga
Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; NeuroGenomics and Informatics Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Hope Center for Neurologic Diseases, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
David H. Salat
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston MA, USA
Meher R. Juttukonda
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Corresponding author. 149 Thirteenth Street, Suite 2301, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA.
Altered blood flow in the human brain is characteristic of typical aging. However, numerous factors contribute to inter-individual variation in patterns of blood flow throughout the lifespan. To better understand the mechanisms behind such variation, we studied how sex and APOE genotype, a primary genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), influence associations between age and brain perfusion measures. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 562 participants from the Human Connectome Project - Aging (36 to >90 years of age). We found widespread associations between age and vascular parameters, where increasing age was associated with regional decreases in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and increases in arterial transit time (ATT). When grouped by sex and APOE genotype, interactions between group and age demonstrated that females had relatively greater CBF and lower ATT compared to males. Females carrying the APOE ε4 allele showed the strongest association between CBF decline and ATT incline with age. This demonstrates that sex and genetic risk for AD modulate age-associated patterns of cerebral perfusion measures.
