Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27609370›Full record

ArticleArteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology2016

Cardiac and Carotid Markers Link With Accelerated Brain Atrophy: The AGES-Reykjavik Study (Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik).

Behnam Sabayan, Mark A van Buchem, Sigurdur Sigurdsson, Qian Zhang, Osorio Meirelles, Tamara B Harris, Vilmundur Gudnason, Andrew E Arai, Lenore J Launer

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 65 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Heart Meets Brain: Insights into Neurocardiac Pathophysiology.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Heart-Brain Axis: Subclinical Cardiovascular Changes and Brain Health.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2026
    Review
  4. Alterations in the inflammatory homeostasis of aging-related cardiac dysfunction and Alzheimer's diseases.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Association of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness with Brain MRI Markers in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS).Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association · 2022
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Brain imaging biomarkers of carotid artery disease.Annals of translational medicine · 2020
    Review
  19. The Brain-Heart Axis: Alzheimer's, Diabetes, and Hypertension.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2020
    Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Behnam SabayanFrom the Department of Radiology (B.S., M.A.v.B.), Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (B.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands (M.A.v.B.); Icelandic Heart Association, Reykjavik (S.S., V.G.); Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Ageing (Q.Z., O.M., T.B.H., L.J.L.) and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (A.E.A.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Mark A van BuchemFrom the Department of Radiology (B.S., M.A.v.B.), Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (B.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands (M.A.v.B.); Icelandic Heart Association, Reykjavik (S.S., V.G.); Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Ageing (Q.Z., O.M., T.B.H., L.J.L.) and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (A.E.A.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Sigurdur SigurdssonFrom the Department of Radiology (B.S., M.A.v.B.), Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (B.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands (M.A.v.B.); Icelandic Heart Association, Reykjavik (S.S., V.G.); Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Ageing (Q.Z., O.M., T.B.H., L.J.L.) and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (A.E.A.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Qian ZhangFrom the Department of Radiology (B.S., M.A.v.B.), Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (B.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands (M.A.v.B.); Icelandic Heart Association, Reykjavik (S.S., V.G.); Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Ageing (Q.Z., O.M., T.B.H., L.J.L.) and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (A.E.A.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Osorio MeirellesFrom the Department of Radiology (B.S., M.A.v.B.), Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (B.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands (M.A.v.B.); Icelandic Heart Association, Reykjavik (S.S., V.G.); Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Ageing (Q.Z., O.M., T.B.H., L.J.L.) and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (A.E.A.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Tamara B HarrisFrom the Department of Radiology (B.S., M.A.v.B.), Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (B.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands (M.A.v.B.); Icelandic Heart Association, Reykjavik (S.S., V.G.); Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Ageing (Q.Z., O.M., T.B.H., L.J.L.) and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (A.E.A.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Vilmundur GudnasonFrom the Department of Radiology (B.S., M.A.v.B.), Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (B.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands (M.A.v.B.); Icelandic Heart Association, Reykjavik (S.S., V.G.); Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Ageing (Q.Z., O.M., T.B.H., L.J.L.) and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (A.E.A.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Andrew E AraiFrom the Department of Radiology (B.S., M.A.v.B.), Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (B.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands (M.A.v.B.); Icelandic Heart Association, Reykjavik (S.S., V.G.); Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Ageing (Q.Z., O.M., T.B.H., L.J.L.) and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (A.E.A.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Lenore J LaunerFrom the Department of Radiology (B.S., M.A.v.B.), Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics (B.S.), Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands (M.A.v.B.); Icelandic Heart Association, Reykjavik (S.S., V.G.); Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Ageing (Q.Z., O.M., T.B.H., L.J.L.) and Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (A.E.A.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. launerl@nia.nih.gov.
Leiden University Medical Center · NLIcelandic Heart Association · ISLeiden University · NL

Funding

MRI Evaluation Of Acute Cardiovascular DiseaseZ01HL004607 · NHLBI · NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE · PI ARAI, ANDREW E · 1999 to 2008
$8.0M
CLINICAL PROJECT: Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility Study on the Multi-omics of Aging: A clinical epidemiologic prospective studyZIAAG007380 · NIA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING · PI LAUNER, LENORE J · 2009 to 2025
$6.1M
Brain aging and cardiovascular risk factors and diseaseZIAAG007480 · NIA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING · PI LAUNER, LENORE J · 2011 to 2025
$2.7M
Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility StudyZ01AG007380 · NIA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING · PI HARRIS, TAMARA B. · 2006 to 2008
$1.3M
AGES STUDY-THE REYKJAVIK STUDY OF HEALTHY AGING FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM-26012100N01AG012100 · NIA · ICELANDIC HEART ASSOCIATION · 2002 to 2004
–
Intramural NIH HHS Z01 AG007380Intramural NIH HHS Z01 HL004607Intramural NIH HHS ZIA AG007380Intramural NIH HHS ZIA AG007480NIA NIH HHS N01 AG012100
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivePathologies in the heart-brain axis might, independently or in combination, accelerate the process of brain parenchymal loss. We aimed to investigate the association of serum N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), as a marker of cardiac dysfunction, and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), as a marker of carotid atherosclerosis burden, with structural brain changes. APPROACH AND

resultsIn the longitudinal population-based AGES-Reykjavik study (Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik), we included 2430 subjects (mean age, 74.6 years; 41.4% men) with baseline data on NT-proBNP and CITM (assessed by ultrasound imaging). Participants underwent a high-resolution brain magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and 5 years later to assess total brain (TBV), gray matter, and white matter volumes. Each unit higher log-transformed NT-proBNP was associated with 3.6 mL (95% confidence interval [CI], -6.0 to -1.1) decline in TBV and 3.5 mL (95% CI, -5.7 to -1.3) decline in gray matter volume. Likewise, each millimeter higher CIMT was associated with 10.8 mL (95% CI, -17.3 to -4.2) decline in TBV and 8.6 mL (95% CI, -14.4 to -2.8) decline in gray matter volume. There was no association between NT-proBNP and CIMT and changes in white matter volume. Compared with participants with low NT-proBNP and CIMT, participants with both high NT-proBNP and CIMT had 3.8 mL (95% CI, -6.0 to -1.6) greater decline in their TBV and 4 mL (95% CI, -6.0 to -2.0) greater decline in GMW. These associations were independent of sociodemographic and cardiovascular factors.

conclusionsOlder subjects with both cardiac dysfunction and carotid atherosclerosis are at an increased risk for brain parenchymal loss. Accumulated pathologies in the heart-brain axis might accelerate brain atrophy.

Indexed as

Carotid Intima-Media ThicknessMagnetic Resonance ImagingAgedAge FactorsAtrophyBiomarkersBrainCarotid Artery DiseasesFemaleGene-Environment InteractionGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseHeart DiseasesHumansIcelandLeukoencephalopathiesLongitudinal StudiesBiomarkersNatriuretic Peptide, BrainPeptide Fragmentspro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76)brainbrain natriuretic peptidecarotid stenosisgray matterwhite matter

Identifiers

PMID27609370
PMCPMC5310810
OpenAlexW2550610610

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.