Cardiovascular Risk and Compensatory Brain Activity: An fMRI Study of Aging

Author: Anish Balakrishnan

Field of Study: Integrative Neuroscience; Mathematical Sciences

Faculty Mentors: Ian McDonough

Easel: 11

Timeslot: Afternoon

Abstract: Cognitive aging is accompanied by neural compensation, a process where the brain addresses neural insults through mechanisms such as upregulation and reorganization. Theoretical frameworks such as HAROLD, PASA, and STAC also describe differences in compensatory brain activity between younger adults (YAs) and older adults (OAs). Concurrently, cardiovascular health also vastly contributes to the function of the brain. Conditions such as hypertension, heart disease, or heart failure can negatively impact cognitive performance. However, these theoretical frameworks do not explain how these different types of compensatory mechanisms protect cognition during the decline of cardiovascular health. This study aims to provide insights in which personal and familial cardiovascular factors influence neural compensation in aging. Comparisons were made between YAs and OAs for their personal and family histories of cardiovascular conditions, along with fMRI data measured during a memory task and at rest. A positive correlation between cardiovascular prevalence and neural compensation is expected.