Suri S, Chiesa ST, Zsoldos E, et al. - Experts aspired to explore whether aortic stiffening during a 4-year follow-up in mid-to-late life was correlated with brain structure and cognition in the Whitehall II Imaging Sub-study. Participants received a multimodal 3T brain MRI scan and cognitive tests between 2012 and 2016 (Imaging Phase). Participants were chosen if they had no clinical diagnosis of dementia and no gross brain structural abnormalities. Of 542 candidates, 444 (81.9%) were men. The results show that, in mid-to-late life, faster rates of aortic stiffening were correlated with poor brain white matter microstructural integrity and decreased cerebral perfusion, probably due to increased transmission of pulsatile energy to the delicate cerebral microvasculature. Strategies to avoid arterial stiffening prior to this point may be needed to provide cognitive benefit to older adults.