Mueller K, Thiel F, Beutner F, et al. - Researchers conducted a case-control study investigating the relationship between impaired heart function, hampered blood circulation and structural brain change within a group of 80 patients of the Leipzig Heart Center. The potential correlation between heart failure (HF) biomarkers and the brain's gray matter density (GMD) obtained by MRI was investigated. The analysis revealed cardiac ejection fraction to have a significant positive correlation with GMD across the whole frontal and parietal medial cortex reflecting the consequence of HF onto the brain's gray matter. Moreover, a relationship was identified between GMD and the N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) − a biomarker that is used for screening, diagnosis, and prognosis of HF. A significant negative correlation was recognized between NT-proBNP and GMD in the medial and posterior cingulate cortex but also in the precuneus and hippocampus, which are key regions involved in structural brain changes in dementia. These findings suggest brain structure to be significantly correlated with markers of heart failure including EF and NT-proBNP.