PET/CT Links Activity in the Stress Center of the Brain to Risk of Future Heart Problems

Research results have shown that increased activity of the stress center of the brain is linked to a higher risk for cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, stroke, and death, and increased evidence of arterial inflammation.

The goal of the study is to make an initial investigation into the mechanisms behind stress response and the risk of cardiovascular events using Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) imaging. The results were presented at the 65th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology.

The study is the first to use imaging to find a link between atherosclerotic disease and biochemical activity in the brain. The researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH; Boston, MA, USA), used PET/CT scans of 293 patients with an average age of 55 years, to objectively measure activity in various brain regions, in the bone marrow, and arteries. The scanning procedure included the use of a radioactive tracer to find areas of increased metabolic activity.

The researchers found a 14-fold increased risk of cardiovascular events for every unit increase in measured brain stress activity. During the 5-year study, 5% of patients with low stress center activity group suffered a cardiovascular event, compared to 35% of the patients with high stress center activity. The researchers concluded that the activation of bone marrow, arterial inflammation, and activation of the fear centers in the brain were linked to a mechanism that provoked cardiovascular events.

Coauthor of the study, Ahmed Tawakol, MD, Massachusetts General, said,"Our study illuminates, for the first time, a relationship between activation of neural tissues—those associated with fear and stress—and subsequent heart disease events. There is a need to develop greater knowledge in terms of the mechanism that translates stress into cardiovascular disease risk, given the prevalence and potency of stress as a risk factor. Over the past several years, it's become clear that stress is not only a result of adversity but may itself also be an important cause of disease. The risks of heart disease linked to stress is on par with that for smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, yet relatively little is done to address this risk compared to other risk factors. We are hopeful studies like this bring us closer to understanding how stress may lead to heart disease."

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