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Abstract #3658

Increased Global and Regional Brain Mean Diffusivity in Patients with Heart Failure

Rajesh Kumar1, Mary A. Woo2, Paul M. Macey2, Gregg C. Fonarow3, Ronald M. Harper1

1Neurobiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; 2UCLA School of Nursing, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; 3Cardiology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States


Heart failure (HF) patients show gray matter and axonal deficits in multiple brain sites; however, it is unknown whether the structural changes are accompanied by acute or chronic tissue pathology. Those changes can be differentiated by mean diffusivity (MD) procedures. We assessed HF subjects with MD procedures, and found increased MD values in multiple brain sites, including limbic, basal ganglia, thalamic, hypothalamic, and cerebellar regions, compared to control subjects, indicating chronic tissue changes in these areas. The pathological mechanisms contributing to chronic injury in HF may include perfusion or hypoxic processes accompanying the condition.