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Brain activity may predict CV risk
Brain activity predicted increases in BP during stressful events, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“This kind of work is proof-of-concept, but it does suggest that, in the future, brain imaging might be a useful tool to identify people who are at risk for heart disease or who might be more or less suited for different kinds of interventions, specifically those that might be aimed at reducing levels of stress,” Peter J. Gianaros, PhD, psychology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said in a press release. “It’s the people who show the largest stress-related [CV] responses who are at the greatest risk for poor [CV] health, and understanding the brain mechanisms for this may help to reduce their risk.”
Researchers analyzed data from 310 participants (mean age, 40 years; 153 women) who underwent MRIs while completing a standardized stressor battery. Participants did not have a history of a CVD event or clinical CVD.
The stressor battery that participants completed included a modified Multi-Source Interference Task and a Stroop task, which involve negative feedback, conflict and responding within a time constraint. Heart rate and BP were measured during the MRI.
A subsample of 104 participants was also reviewed to test for reliability, generalizability and accuracy.
Participants had an increase in both systolic and diastolic BP compared with baseline measures during the Stroop task (change in systolic BP, 4.95 mm Hg; 95% CI, 4.23-5.69; change in diastolic BP, 2.21 mm Hg; 95% CI, 1.63-2.27) and the Multi-Source Interference Task (change in systolic BP, 3.47mm Hg; 95% CI, 2.89-4.08; change in diastolic BP, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.91-1.85).
Heart rate increased by 8.11 bmp during the Stroop task (95% CI, 7.43-8.82) and by 6.16 bpm during the Multi-Source Interference Task (95% CI, 5.59-6.74).
In a training subsample (n = 206), individual differences in systolic BP reactivity were predicted by a multivariate brain pattern of stressor-evoked brain activity. Both systolic (r = 0.32; P < .005) and diastolic BP (r = 0.25; P < .01) reactivity were predicted in the independent subsample.
Areas of the brain that predicted stress-evoked CV reactivity included anterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex and insula.
Additional covariates, including sex, baseline BP levels and age, did not change the observed effects.
“The present findings are relevant not only for furthering the understanding the neural bases of individual differences in [CV] stress physiology, but also for understanding the neural pathways that mechanistically link stressful experiences and CVD in at risk and clinical populations,” Gianaros and colleagues wrote. – by Darlene Dobkowski
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.