"Chronic kidney disease appears to affect brain physiology and function even early in the disease," he said. "This study gives us clues about what changes in brain physiology might underlie cognitive changes."

Among those changes were differences in blood flow between patients and controls in areas of the brain that correlated with cognitive problems in the patients. Compared with controls, kidney disease patients had cerebral blood flow differences in the default-mode network, the network of brain regions active when a person is not focused on a particular task. Patients with low executive function, or skills related to planning, organizing and paying attention, had significant differences in cerebral blood flow compared with controls.


The findings point to cerebral blood flow measurements with arterial spin labeling as a potentially valuable tool in characterizing cerebrovascular function in chronic kidney disease -- an important area of research given the associations between kidney disease and neurological function, and the significantly increased risk for transient ischemic attack and stroke in even mild chronic kidney patients.

"Cerebral blood flow is a critically important physiological parameter that you can measure in just a few minutes with arterial spin labeling," Dr. Detre said. "This technique provides a noninvasive way of quantifying cerebral blood flow that doesn't require use of contrast agent, which is contraindicated in patients with kidney dysfunction."


RSNA is an association of over 54,200 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

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