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52/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 52 out of 100. Brain scans and imaging

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Background Cardiac dysfunction is associated with neuroanatomic and neuropsychological changes in aging adults with prevalent cardiovascular disease, theoretically because systemic hypoperfusion disrupts cerebral perfusion, contributing to subclinical brain injury. We hypothesized that cardiac function, as measured by cardiac index, would be associated with preclinical brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological markers of ischemia and Alzheimer disease in the community. Methods and results Brain MRI, cardiac MRI, neuropsychological, and laboratory data were collected on 1504 Framingham Offspring Cohort participants free of clinical stroke, transient ischemic attack, or dementia (age, 61+/-9 years; 54% women). Neuropsychological and brain MRI variables were related to cardiac MRI-assessed cardiac index (cardiac output/body surface area). In multivariable-adjusted models, cardiac index was positively related to total brain volume (P=0.03) and information processing speed (P=0.02) and inversely related to lateral ventricular volume (P=0.048). When participants with clinically prevalent cardiovascular disease were excluded, the relation between cardiac index and total brain volume remained (P=0.02). Post hoc comparisons revealed that participants in the bottom cardiac index tertile (values 2.92). Conclusions Although observational data cannot establish causality, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that decreasing cardiac function, even at normal cardiac index levels, is associated with accelerated brain aging.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Jefferson, A. L., Himali, J. J., Beiser, A. S., Au, R., Massaro, J. M., Seshadri, S., et al. (2010). Cardiac index is associated with brain aging: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.109.905091

Vancouver

Jefferson AL, Himali JJ, Beiser AS, Au R, Massaro JM, Seshadri S, et al. Cardiac index is associated with brain aging: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 2010. doi:10.1161/circulationaha.109.905091. PMID: 20679552.

BibTeX

@article{jefferson2010-20679552,
  author  = {Jefferson, A. L. and Himali, J. J. and Beiser, A. S. and Au, R. and Massaro, J. M. and Seshadri, S. and Gona, P. and Salton, C. J. and others},
  title   = {{Cardiac index is associated with brain aging: the Framingham Heart Study}},
  journal = {Circulation},
  year    = {2010},
  doi     = {10.1161/circulationaha.109.905091},
  pmid    = {20679552},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.109.905091}
}

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Key findings

Background Cardiac dysfunction is associated with neuroanatomic and neuropsychological changes in aging adults with prevalent cardiovascular disease, theoretically because systemic hypoperfusion disrupts cerebral perfusion, contributing to subclinical brain injury.
We hypothesized that cardiac function, as measured by cardiac index, would be associated with preclinical brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neuropsychological markers of ischemia and Alzheimer disease in the community.
Methods and results Brain MRI, cardiac MRI, neuropsychological, and laboratory data were collected on 1504 Framingham Offspring Cohort participants free of clinical stroke, transient ischemic attack, or dementia (age, 61+/-9 years; 54% women).
Post hoc comparisons revealed that participants in the bottom cardiac index tertile (values 2.92).
Conclusions Although observational data cannot establish causality, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that decreasing cardiac function, even at normal cardiac index levels, is associated with accelerated brain aging.

Why it matters

In 1504 Framingham participants without dementia, lower cardiac index was linked to smaller total brain volume, larger lateral ventricles, and slower information processing speed. The authors state that observational data cannot establish causality, so this does not show that improving cardiac function prevents Alzheimer disease.

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Study details

Evidence strengthModerate

How this study scored 52/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Circulation)
Journal's citation record	4 / 4	Circulation: journal h-index 848 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	3 / 5	Rated “moderate” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	1 / 5	2010 — within 20 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	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
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 253 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	3 / 5	14.1 citations a year over 18 year(s) since 2010
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 11.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	2 / 6	Cited by 9 other studies in this library
Still being cited	2 / 4	Cited 40 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	4 / 4	Last-listed author Warren J. Manning: h-index 105 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	3 / 3	Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	2 / 3	OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20679552)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	52 / 100	—

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