Neural correlates of stress and leucocyte telomere length in patients with coronary artery disease

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Zakaria Almuwaqqat, Emory University; Matthew T Wittbrodt, Emory University; Kasra Moazzami, Emory University; Jonathon Nye, Emory University; Bruno B Lima, Emory University; Amit Shah, Emory University; Jamil Alkhalaf, Emory University; Bradley Pearce, Emory University; Yan Sun, Emory University; Arshed Quyyumi, Emory University; Viola Vaccarino, Emory University; James Bremner, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-02-23
• Publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110760
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF PSYCHOSOMATIC RESEARCH
• Volume: 155
• Start Page: 110760
• End Page: 110760
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the NIH, through the following grants: P01 HL101398, R01 HL109413, R01HL109413-02S1, R01HL125246, K24HL077506, K24 MH076955, UL1TR000454, KL2TR000455, K23HL127251, TL1TR002382 and T32HL130025A.
• Keywords: CELLULAR SENESCENCE; DENTATE GYRUS; ADRENAL-RESPONSE; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; PERCEIVED STRESS; ASSOCIATION; Aging; PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS; Cardiovascular disease; METAANALYSIS; CHILDHOOD SEXUAL-ABUSE; Stress; ALLOSTATIC LOAD; HIPPOCAMPAL VOLUME; Psychiatry; Science & Technology

Abstract

Background: Accelerated biological aging, as indicated by telomere shortening, is associated with CAD pathogenesis. In a cross-sectional study, we investigated neural correlates of acute psychological stress and short telomeres in patients with CAD. Methods: Individuals with CAD (N = 168) underwent a validated mental stress protocol including public speaking and mental arithmetic. Imaging of the brain with [O-15] water and high-resolution positron emission tomography (HR-PET) was performed during mental stress and control conditions. Blood flow during stressful tasks (average of speech and arithmetic) and control tasks were assessed. Telomere length in peripheral leucocytes was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and expressed as Telomere/Single Copy Gene (T/S) ratio. Voxel-wise regression models were constructed to assess the association between brain areas and activity during rest and mental stress after adjustments for demographic factors and clinical characteristics. Results: The mean (SD) age of the sample was 62 (8) years, and 69% were men. Increased activation with mental stress in the lingual gyrus, cerebellum and superior and inferior frontal gyri were associated with reduced telomere length; 1.6 higher voxel activation of these areas was associated with 0.1 T/S-units reduction in telomere length (P < 0.005). Additionally, during neutral counting and speaking tasks, brain activity in the precentral, middle and superior frontal and middle temporal gyri was inversely associated with telomere length. Results remained consistent after adjustment for demographic and clinical risk factors. Conclusion: Increased stress-induced activity in brain areas mediating the stress response was associated with shortened telomere length in CAD patients.