Arterial stiffness and dementia pathology: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)-PET Study
Hughes TM, Wagenknecht LE, Craft S, Mintz A, Heiss G, Palta P, Wong D, Zhou Y et al.. Neurology, 2018-03-16
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objective Arterial stiffness has been associated with evidence of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) and fibrillar β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in the brain. These complex relationships have not been examined in racially and cognitively diverse cohorts. Methods The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)-Neurocognitive Study collected detailed cognitive testing for adjudication of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), brain MRI, and arterial stiffness by pulse wave velocity (PWV, carotid-femoral [cfPWV] and heart-carotid [hcPWV]). The ARIC-PET ancillary study added Aβ imaging using florbetapir ([ 18 F]-AV-45) to obtain standardized uptake volume ratios and defined global Aβ-positivity as standardized uptake volume ratio >1.2. One-SD increase in PWV was related to brain volume, MRI-defined cSVD (e.g., cerebral microbleeds and white matter hyperintensity), and cortical Aβ deposition adjusted for age, body mass index, sex, race, and APOE ε4 status. We examined the cross-sectional relationships including interactions by race, APOE ε4 status, and cognition. Results Among the 320 ARIC-PET participants (76 [5] years, 45% black, 27% MCI), greater central stiffness (hcPWV) was associated with greater Aβ deposition (odds ratio [OR] = 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.71). Greater central stiffness (cfPWV) was significantly associated with having lower brain volumes in Alzheimer disease-susceptible regions (in mm 3 , β = -1.5 [0.7 SD], p = 0.03) and high white matter hyperintensity burden (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.1). Furthermore, cfPWV was associated with a higher odds of concomitant high white matter hyperintensity and Aβ-positive scans (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-2.1). These associations were strongest among individuals with MCI and did not differ by race or APOE ε4 status. Conclusions Arterial stiffness, measured by PWV, is an emerging risk factor for dementia through its repeated relationships with cognition, cSVD, and Aβ deposition.
Key findings
- Objective Arterial stiffness has been associated with evidence of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) and fibrillar β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in the brain.
- Results Among the 320 ARIC-PET participants (76 [5] years, 45% black, 27% MCI), greater central stiffness (hcPWV) was associated with greater Aβ deposition (odds ratio [OR] = 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.71).
- Greater central stiffness (cfPWV) was significantly associated with having lower brain volumes in Alzheimer disease-susceptible regions (in mm 3 , β = -1.5 [0.7 SD], p = 0.03) and high white matter hyperintensity burden (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.1).
- Furthermore, cfPWV was associated with a higher odds of concomitant high white matter hyperintensity and Aβ-positive scans (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-2.1).
Why it matters
In this cross-sectional study, greater central arterial stiffness was associated with greater amyloid-β deposition in the brain and with lower brain volumes in Alzheimer disease-sensitive regions. The study shows an association only and does not show that reducing arterial stiffness treats, cures, or prevents Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Genetics →
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Effect sizeOR = 1.6; OR = 1.4
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 59/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2018 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 179 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 17.9 citations a year over 10 year(s) since 2018 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 8 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 67 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Rebecca F. Gottesman: h-index 92 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 7 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 29549223) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 59 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000005259
- PubMed: 29549223
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Hughes, T. M., Wagenknecht, L. E., Craft, S., Mintz, A., Heiss, G., Palta, P., et al. (2018). Arterial stiffness and dementia pathology: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)-PET Study. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000005259
Vancouver
Hughes TM, Wagenknecht LE, Craft S, Mintz A, Heiss G, Palta P, et al. Arterial stiffness and dementia pathology: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)-PET Study. Neurology. 2018. doi:10.1212/wnl.0000000000005259. PMID: 29549223.
BibTeX
@article{hughes2018-29549223,
author = {Hughes, T. M. and Wagenknecht, L. E. and Craft, S. and Mintz, A. and Heiss, G. and Palta, P. and Wong, D. and Zhou, Y. and others},
title = {{Arterial stiffness and dementia pathology: Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)-PET Study}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0000000000005259},
pmid = {29549223},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000005259}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
8 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Genetics
Also tagged “cerebral”
900 studies in the library carry the topic tag “cerebral”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 900 tagged studies.