Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of The Journal of Neuroscience, 45(8), e1440242024. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1440-24.2024 Dr. Yalda Amirmoezzi et al.
Points
- The study analyzed data from 2,904 healthy adults (aged 46–80) in the UK Biobank, showing that cardiovascular aging is closely linked to aging in specific brain networks.
- The salience, default mode, and somatomotor networks, along with the subcortex, were most impacted by cardiovascular aging, highlighting an interdependent aging process.
- Cardiovascular aging, particularly in functional capacity, significantly influences aging in brain regions critical for autonomic nervous system regulation and cognition.
- Findings suggest that maintaining cardiovascular health through exercise and lifestyle interventions could help prevent or slow neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s.
- The study provides a foundation for targeted clinical strategies to manage simultaneous brain and heart aging, emphasizing early intervention for age-related cognitive and cardiovascular conditions.
Summary
This study investigates the relationship between aging in the brain and cardiovascular system, leveraging data from the UK Biobank to examine the biological ages of both organs in 2,904 healthy adults aged 46 to 80. The researchers used structural, morphological, and functional data from brain and cardiovascular imaging modalities to estimate biological ages. The analysis reveals that functional and physiological aging of the cardiovascular system is selectively associated with aging in specific brain networks. These include the salience, default mode, somatomotor networks, and the subcortex, suggesting a complex interrelationship between brain and heart aging.
The study highlights that cardiovascular aging, especially in terms of functional capacity, is a significant factor influencing the aging of key brain regions. The researchers’ findings provide unique insights into the co-occurrence of brain and heart diseases, common in older adults. Cardiovascular aging particularly impacts the salience and default mode networks, crucial for autonomic nervous system regulation and heart function. The results underscore the need to understand how changes in one organ may exacerbate aging-related declines in the other.
These findings have important clinical implications, particularly in preventing or managing both cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. As cardiovascular exercise positively influences both heart and brain health, the study suggests that maintaining cardiovascular health could reduce the risk of brain-related diseases like dementia, Parkinson’s, and motor neuron diseases. The research provides a foundation for future clinical interventions to address the simultaneous aging of the brain and heart, potentially leading to improved management and prevention strategies for age-related diseases.
Link to the article: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/45/8/e1440242024
References Amirmoezzi, Y., Cropley, V., Mansour L., S., Seguin, C., Zalesky, A., & Tian, Y. E. (2025). Characterizing brain–cardiovascular aging using multiorgan imaging and machine learning. The Journal of Neuroscience, 45(8), e1440242024. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1440-24.2024
