4.2 Biological and Vascular Contributors to Cerebral Pulsatility and Pulsatile Damping

Wesley Lefferts; Jacob DeBlois; Jacqueline Augustine; Allison Keller; Kevin Heffernan

doi:10.2991/artres.k.191224.023

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Volume 25, Issue Supplement 1, December 2019, Pages S31 - S31

4.2 Biological and Vascular Contributors to Cerebral Pulsatility and Pulsatile Damping

Authors

Wesley Lefferts¹^{, *}, Jacob DeBlois², Jacqueline Augustine³, Allison Keller², Kevin Heffernan²

¹University of Illinois at Chicago, USA

²Syracuse University, New York, USA

³SUNY Cortland, New York, USA

^*Corresponding author. Email: wleffert@uic.edu

Corresponding Author

Wesley Lefferts

Available Online 15 February 2020.

DOI: 10.2991/artres.k.191224.023 How to use a DOI?
Abstract: Cerebral pulsatility is an emerging contributor to brain health that reflects the balance between the transmission and damping (i.e. attenuation) of pulsatility through extracranial vessels into the cerebrovasculature. Identifying biological (age, sex) and vascular contributors to pulsatile balance may provide insight into sex differences in brain aging.

Purpose: Explore biological and vascular contributors to cerebral pulsatility and pulsatile damping.

Methods: 282 Adults (53% female) 18–85 yrs underwent measurements of cerebral (middle cerebral artery) pulsatility, pulsatile damping (cerebral:carotid pulsatility), large artery stiffening (aortic:carotid pulse wave velocity (PWV)), and carotid wave transmission/reflection dynamics using wave-intensity analysis. Multiple regression was used to examine the contributions of 1) age, sex, BMI, aortic:carotid PWV, carotid diameter, pulse pressure, and forward-wave energy to cerebral pulsatility; and 2) age, sex, BMI, aortic:carotid PWV, carotid diameter, wave reflection index, and suction-wave energy to pulsatile damping.

Results: Age and female sex were predictors of greater cerebral pulsatility and reduced pulsatile damping. Beyond the effects of age and sex, greater large artery stiffening (β = 0.21), pulse pressure (β = 0.28), and forward wave energy (β = 0.26, model R² = 0.42, p < 0.05) predicted greater cerebral pulsatility, while greater carotid wave reflection index (β = 0.23, model R² = 0.49, p < 0.05) predicted greater pulsatile damping.

Conclusion: Our data confirms literature linking age and extracranial artery stiffening and hemodynamics to cerebral pulsatility. Our findings suggest age and female sex are associated with reduced damping of pulsatile hemodynamics, while carotid wave reflections enhance pulsatile damping. Lower pulsatile damping among females may contribute to greater cerebral pulsatile burden compared to males.
Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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Journal: Artery Research
Volume-Issue: 25 - Supplement 1
Pages: S31 - S31
Publication Date: 2020/02/15
ISSN (Online): 1876-4401
ISSN (Print): 1872-9312
DOI: 10.2991/artres.k.191224.023 How to use a DOI?
Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Cite this article

ris enw bib

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Wesley Lefferts
AU  - Jacob DeBlois
AU  - Jacqueline Augustine
AU  - Allison Keller
AU  - Kevin Heffernan
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/02/15
TI  - 4.2 Biological and Vascular Contributors to Cerebral Pulsatility and Pulsatile Damping
JO  - Artery Research
SP  - S31
EP  - S31
VL  - 25
IS  - Supplement 1
SN  - 1876-4401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/artres.k.191224.023
DO  - 10.2991/artres.k.191224.023
ID  - Lefferts2020
ER  -

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