An index of lifetime psychosocial stress exposure and its impact on cerebral vascular function in Non-Hispanic Black females

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, with disparities in outcomes observed across racial and ethnic groups. Among non-Hispanic Black women, there is a disproportionately high burden of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular dysfunction, including hypertension, stroke, and heart disease. Furthermore, reduced cerebral vascular function increases the risk of cognitive decline and other neurocognitive conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), conditions that are disproportionately prevalent in non-Hispanic Black individuals. While genetic, behavioral, and socio-economic factors have been linked to these disparities, emerging evidence highlights the significant role of psychosocial stressors, such as racial discrimination. Chronic exposure to racial discrimination is theorized to exert physiological stress on the body, potentially exacerbating the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. It is crucial to examine how these psychosocial stress factors contribute to health disparities in non-Hispanic Black women. Understanding the intersection of race, gender, and stress can inform targeted interventions and policies aimed at reducing the impact of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular dysfunction in this population. We hypothesized that robust psychosocial stress exposure in non-Hispanic Black women would be negatively associated with indices of cerebral vascular health and function. Methods: Eighteen non-Hispanic Black women (age: 31±9 years; BMI: 34±9 kg/m 2 ) participated in the study. Cerebral vascular function was assessed by measuring the percentage increase in cerebral vascular blood velocity in the middle cerebral artery and conductance (CVCi = middle cerebral artery blood velocity/mean arterial pressure) during hypercapnia (6% CO 2 ). Psychosocial stress exposure was assessed by capturing lifetime exposure to racial discrimination using the Brief Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire – Community Version (Brief-PEDq-CV). Results: Within the sample of non-Hispanic Black women, no significant correlation was found between CVCi and exposure to racial discrimination ( p> 0.05). However, increased racial discrimination, as measured by the Brief-PEDq-CV, tended to be negatively associated with % velocity ( p= 0.07). Conclusion: These preliminary data, in a relatively small sample size, suggest that young, recreationally healthy non-Hispanic Black women may have reduced cerebral vascular function, which could be associated with increased experiences of racial discrimination. Future research will investigate these relationships further, examining daily psychosocial stress exposure in larger, more diverse samples that include a wider age range and varied life experiences. Funding: American Heart Association, 23CDA1050513 (Y. Liao). This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.