Palta P, et al. – Researchers investigated whether central arterial stiffening is related to structural brain damage and cognitive impairment in this study involving a cross-sectional sample of ARIC-NCS participants (aged 67–90 years; 60% women) with measures of cognition (n=3,703) and brain MRI (n=1,255). They evaluated central arterial hemodynamics as carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity and pressure pulsatility (central pulse pressure). They derived factor scores for cognitive domains. A greater burden of white matter hyperintensities, smaller total brain volumes, and smaller Alzheimer disease signature region volumes were observed among participants in the highest quartile of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity vs those in the lowest carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity quartile. Also, lower scores in executive function/processing speed and general cognition were observed in participants in the highest quartile of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity. Similar results were observed for central pulse pressure. Overall, findings revealed an association of central arterial hemodynamics with structural brain damage and poorer cognitive performance among older adults.