Central arterial stiffness (CAS) is associated with hypertension and is likely associated with stiffening of cerebral artery walls, with attendant cerebral hypoperfusion, neuronal density loss and cognitive decline. We sought to explore associations between pulse wave velocity (PWV), a marker of CAS, and hippocampal blood flow and neuronal density in hypertensive Dahl salt sensitive (Dahl-S) rats, which exhibit age-associated memory loss. We observed direct correlations between greater PWV, lower cerebral blood flow (CBF) and lower N-acetyl aspartate/total creatine ratio (NAA/tCr) in the hippocampus, supporting the role of CAS in cerebrovascular dysfunction and decline in cognitive performance with hypertension and aging.
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