Association of carotid stiffness and pulsatility using single-slice oblique-sagittal PC-MRI with cognitive impairment in elderly adults

Motivation: Arterial stiffening and pulsatility serve as important markers of vascular dysfunction. Oblique-sagittal PC-MRI (OS PC-MRI) is a technique that provides a one-stop-shop approach for multiple vascular metrics. Goal(s): This study aims to investigate the association of carotid vascular metrics measured by OS PC-MRI with cognitive impairment and cerebral perfusion in an elderly cohort. Approach: OS PC-MRI data were collected on 40 elderly participants, who also underwent cognitive tests. Cerebral perfusion was measured using 3D pCASL. Pulse wave velocity(cPWV), pulsatility index(PI), and damping factor(DF) were calculated. Results: Our results showed increased cPWV and reduced cDF were associated with cognitive impairment and reduced cerebral perfusion. Impact: OS PC-MRI measures multiple vascular metrics including cPWV, PI, and cDF within two minutes, which shows strong associations with cognitive impairment and cerebral perfusion, consistent with previous findings. This study suggests OS PC-MRI could be promising to study vascular dysfunction.