Baseline hippocampal vascular reactivity predicts conversion to mild cognitive impairment: an analysis of the SPRINT‐MIND study

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by gradual decline to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Vascular risk factors contribute to cognitive decline suggesting that maintaining cerebrovascular health could slow disease progression. Vascular reactivity, a measure of blood vessel elasticity and arterial stiffness, provides a quantitative neurobiological measure of cerebrovascular health. In the present study, we hypothesized that higher hippocampal and whole‐brain gray matter vascular reactivity would be associated with lower rate of conversion to MCI.