Maturation and degeneration of the human brainstem across the adult lifespan.

Brainstem tissue microstructural properties change across the adult lifespan. However, studies elucidating the biological processes that govern brainstem maturation and degeneration are lacking. In the present work, conducted on a large cohort of 140 cognitively unimpaired subjects spanning a wide age range of 21 to 94 years, we implemented a multi-parameter approach to characterize the sex- and age differences.

Association of central arterial stiffness with hippocampal blood flow and N-acetyl aspartate concentration in hypertensive adult Dahl salt sensitive rats.

Background: Central arterial stiffness (CAS) is associated with elevated arterial blood pressure (BP) and is likely associated with stiffening of cerebral artery walls, with attendant cerebral hypoperfusion, neuronal density loss and cognitive decline. Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl-S) rats exhibit age-associated hypertension and memory loss, even on a normal salt intake.

Method: We sought to explore whether central arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV), a marker of CAS, is associated with hippocampal cerebral blood flow (CBF) and neuronal density in hypertensive Dahl-S rats.