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CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION
by
Nicole M. Gatto
_______________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(EPIDEMIOLOGY)
December 2007
Copyright 2007 Nicole M. Gatto
Object Description
| Title | Cardiovascular disease risk factors and cognitive function |
| Author | Gatto, Nicole M. |
| Author email | ngatto@usc.edu |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Epidemiology |
| School | Keck School of Medicine |
| Date defended/completed | 2007-08-20 |
| Date submitted | 2007 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2007-11-20 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Mack, Wendy J. |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Hodis, Howard Neil Henderson, Victor Gilliland, Frank D. Gatz, Margaret |
| Abstract | Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in both men and women in the United States. Atherosclerosis, which is the most common pathological process underlying CVD, may begin in the first and second decades of life and is prevalent to some degree across all age groups thereafter. More severe forms of atherosclerosis tend to be found in middle-aged and older individuals. Major risk factors for atherosclerosis include increasing age, elevated LDL cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, obesity, smoking and diabetes. Cognitive function represents the complex repertoire of abilities reflecting a dynamic interaction between the individual and the social environment throughout life. Determinants of cognition are multifactorial and include a number of demographic, social, biological, physiologic and lifestyle factors. Evidence suggests that several risk factors for CVD may also be risk factors for cognitive dysfunction. A review of the literature summarizes the epidemiologic studies that have examined the association between subclinical atherosclerosis and cognitive function. Some studies reported associations between atherosclerosis and reduced cognitive function, while others reported weak or null associations. The studies tended to measure atherosclerosis in medium to large-sized arteries, and focused on older populations with more advanced atherosclerosis, with CVD, or who may have not been cognitively intact.; This research includes two analyses aimed at further investigating the relationship between subclinical atherosclerosis and risk factors for atherosclerosis and cognitive function specifically in healthy, cognitively intact middle-aged and older adults without CVD or diabetes. The first analysis examines the cross-sectional association between carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and cognitive function, and the second examines the cross-sectional association between the metabolic syndrome, a risk factor for CVD, and cognitive function. Results from the analyses provide some support for a role of IMT and the metabolic syndrome in reduced cognitive function, specifically in the area of verbal memory and conceptual abilities. A third analysis is proposed in which the retinal vessels are used as markers of the cerebral microvasculature to more directly examine microvascular disease and cognition. |
| Keyword | cardiovascular disease; atherosclerosis; cognitive function; memory; subclinical; intima-media thickness; metabolic syndrome |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m936 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Gatto, Nicole M. |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@dots.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Gatto-20071120 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume35/etd-Gatto-20071120.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@dots.usc.edu |
| Full text | CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION by Nicole M. Gatto _______________________________________________________________ A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (EPIDEMIOLOGY) December 2007 Copyright 2007 Nicole M. Gatto |
