Abstract 4126628: Worse Cardiac Structure and Function is Associated with Decline in Multiple Domains of Cognitive Function: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background: Cognitive impairment is cross-sectionally associated with worse cardiac structure/function. However, limited data exist regarding cardiac structure/function and longitudinal changes in cognitive function. Objective: Determine the association of cardiac structure and function with longitudinal changes in cognitive performance in late life. Methods: Among HF- and dementia-free participants in the community-based ARIC study who attended the 5th study visit (V5; 2011-2013), underwent protocol echocardiography, and completed a neurocognitive test battery at both V5 and study Visit 6 (V6; 2015-17), we assessed associations of cardiac structure and function measures with changes in both domain-specific and global cognitive scores between V5 and V6 using multivariable linear regression. Models were initially adjusted for demographics and education level, with additional models further adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors and disease at both V5 and V6. The neuropsychological test battery consisted of 10 neuropsychological tests that covered 3 domains of cognitive function: memory, executive functioning, and language. Factor scores were constructed for each cognitive domain, and their average represented a global composite score. Results: Among 2,988 included participants, mean age was 74±5 years, 60% were female, 20% reported Black race, and mean LVEF was 66±6%. Over a mean of 4.9±0.6 years (the V5 to V6 interval), raw scores declined for all neuropsychological tests. In fully adjusted models, worse diastolic function (larger LAVi) and LV remodeling (greater LV mass index) were associated with decline in executive function. Lower LVEF was associated with decline in language function, while worse LV longitudinal strain – a more sensitive measure of systolic dysfunction – was associated with decline in executive function, language function, and global cognition performance (all p<0.05; Table). Conclusion: Subclinical LV remodeling and dysfunction is associated with greater declines in cognitive function over 5 years in late life. Differential associations were observed by cognitive domains, with executive function decline most uniformly associated with impairments in cardiac structure/function.