Lower neurovascular coupling response despite higher cerebral blood flow at rest in apolipoprotein ε4 positive adults

Abstract

Cerebral blood flow at rest declines with age. However, age-related changes in functional measures of cerebrovascular health including cerebrovascular reactivity and neurovascular coupling are not well understood. Additionally, the effect of apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4, a strong genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, on cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular function remains unclear. APOEε4 positive (APOEε4+; n = 37, age = 63±4y) and APOEε4 negative (APOEε4-; n = 50, age = 63±4y) cognitively unimpaired adults participated in this study. Macrovascular cerebral blood flow and microvascular cerebral perfusion were measured using 4D flow MRI and pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling MRI, respectively. Cerebrovascular reactivity and neurovascular coupling were assessed by measuring middle cerebral artery blood velocity in response to hypercapnia and the n-back test, respectively. Neurovascular coupling was lower in APOEε4+ compared with APOEε4-adults (P<0.05), despite higher cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity to hypercapnia. Alterations in neurovascular coupling may occur early, prior to changes in cognition, in aging APOEε4 carriers.