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Abstract #4216

The Brain’s First “Traffic Map” via Unified Structural and Functional Connectivity: Application to Women with Microvascular Dysfunction

Arzu C HAS SILEMEK1,2, Janet Wei 3, Jeffrey C Wertheimer4, Yibin Xie5, Debiao Li5, Oana Dumitrascu6, Michael D Nelson3,7, Sarah Kremen8, Zaldy S Tan9,10, C Noel Bairey Merz3, Pascal Sati1, and Wei Gao5
1Department of Neurology, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 2Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Biomedical Imaging Research Institute (BIRI), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 3Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 4Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 5Department of Biomedical Sciences and Imaging, Biomedical Imaging Research Institute (BIRI), Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 6Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Scottsdale, AZ, United States, 7The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, United States, 8Neurology, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 9Department of Neurology and Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States, 10David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: Aging, Brain Connectivity, Heart, Aging, Cognition, Cardiovascular

Motivation: To understand how the brain selects optimal pathways for functional communication and their implications for neurodegeneration in aging populations.

Goal(s): To apply the Unified Structural and Functional Connectivity (USFC) model to explore the relationship between integrated brain pathways and cardiovascular/cognitive function in women with suspected coronary microvascular dysfunction.

Approach: We utilized MRI data, cognitive assessments, and coronary-flow-testing to identify key "backbone" connections related to cognition and cardiovascular health through the USFC model.

Results: Significant correlations emerged between USFC-pathways, cardiovascular measures (systolic/diastolic-blood-pressure), and cognition (e.g., MoCA), demonstrating that USFC outperformed structural and functional connectivity alone, highlighting the value of integrated models for clinical insights.

Impact: The USFC model links brain connectivity with cardiovascular and cognitive health, identifying pathways associated with increased risks of pathological aging and Alzheimer's disease. This study facilitates targeted interventions and improves early diagnostic strategies, providing new promise for vulnerable populations.

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Abstract

Keywords