心脏功能低下（即心功能不全或心力衰竭，主要是心排血量减少）是老年人的常见病，记忆力和认知能力受损在老年人中亦不少见。最近有研究证明，老年人心功能重度受损者，常常出现词汇记忆和认知功能受损。这一结果提示，保护心脏功能亦是保护脑功能，改善心脏功能亦可改善脑功能。更多资讯，请参阅原文：

As Heart Failure Worsens, Word Recall May Suffer Too

Link was especially apparent in older patients, researchers found

By Robert Preidt

MONDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Older patients with more severe heart failure are at increased risk for verbal memory impairment, a new study finds.

Verbal memory is the ability to remember words. This study compared heart failure severity and cognitive function -- including verbal and visual memory -- among patients being evaluated for potential heart transplantation.

Heart failure severity was assessed using left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), a measure of how well the heart's left ventricle pumps with each contraction.

Among 207 patients, the researchers found that 38 had an EF of 30 percent or more, and 169 had an EF of less than 30 percent. In patients younger than 63, there were no memory problems. But older patients with an EF of less than 30 percent did have memory problems.

Further analysis showed that the strongest association between low EF and memory problems was in delayed verbal recall and recognition.

The study appears in the August issue of the Archives of Neurology.

"In summary, an interaction exists between the age and EF such that older patients with low EF had significantly reduced memory, particularly verbal delayed recall and recognition," Joanne R. Festa, from St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, wrote in a journal news release.

SOURCE: JAMA/Archives journals, news release, Aug. 8, 2011