Using cardiovascular disease prevention strategies in mid-life could delay or stop brain changes that could lead to depression later in life, according to a study in an Journal of the American College of Geology.
Atherosclerosis, or fat blisters, cholesterol and other substances in and on the walls of artery, is the underlying cause of most cardiovascular diseases, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. Depression is also one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, with 50 million people currently living with dementia. The presence of atherosclerosis has been linked to brain damage in advanced stages of the disease, but little is known about how they affect each other, especially since both can be asymptomatic for much earlier periods. life.
Using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) -positron (PET) emission tomography scans of 547 participants from the Subclinical Early Atherosclerosis Progression study, researchers tested the link between brain metabolism, subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factors diagnosed in asymptomatic, middle-aged adults. .
They found that cardiovascular risk is associated with cerebral hypometabolism, including the cerebral areas known to be affected in depression. Hypertension was the risk factor for variable cardiovascular disease with the strongest association.
According to researchers, these results reinforce the need to control cardiovascular disease risk factors early in life to reduce the potential risk of the brain to develop a mental disorder.
Source:
American College of Cardiology