High Prevalence of Cerebrovascular Calcifications and Clinical Correlates in Indigenous Bolivian Forager‐Horticulturalists: A Population‐Based Observational Study

Authors

• Giuseppe Barisano, Stanford University
• Bavrina Bigjahan, The University of Illinois at Chicago
• Grant Schleifer, Harvard Medical Schoo
• Maria Ashna, University of Southern California
• Wendy J. Mack, University of Southern California
• M. Linda Sutherland, MemorialCare Health Systems
• James D. Sutherland, MemorialCare Health Systems
• Helena C. Chui, University of Southern California
• Meng Law, Monash University
• Thomas J. Fischbach, University of Southern California
• Andrei Irimia, University of Southern California
• Nikhil N. Chaudhari, University of Southern California
• Daniel K. Cummings, Chapman University
• Paul L. Hooper, University of New Mexico
• Jacob E. Aronoff, Arizona State University
• Ellen E. Walters, University of Southern California
• Daniel Eid Rodriguez, San Simon University
• Raul Quispe Gutierrez, Tsimane Health and Life History Project
• Jesus Bani Cuata, Tsimane Health and Life History Project
• Kenneth Buetow, Arizona State University
• Caleb E. Finch, University of Southern California
• Michael D. Gurven, University of California, Santa BarbaraFollow
• Jonathan Stieglitz, Toulouse School of Economics
• Gregory S. Thomas, MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute
• Randall C. Thompson, Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute
• Benjamin Trumble, Arizona State University
• Hillard Kaplan, Chapman UniversityFollow
• Margaret Gatz, University of Southern California

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-30-2026

Abstract

Background

Intracranial arteriosclerosis (large‐ and small‐vessel disease) is considered a risk factor for major neurological disorders, such as stroke, cognitive impairment, and dementia. While most studies investigating intracranial arteriosclerosis include individuals from industrialized populations, the prevalence and clinical meaning of intracranial vascular calcifications in populations with a subsistence lifestyle is unknown.

Methods

In this population‐based study evaluating data collected between 2017 and 2019 from Tsimane and Moseten people, 2 indigenous populations of forager‐horticulturalists living in the Bolivian Amazon, we used computed tomography to determine the prevalence of vascular calcifications in the intracranial internal carotid arteries, vertebral arteries, and lenticulostriate arteries within the basal ganglia, and their association with demographic characteristics, brain atrophy, cognitive performance, and clinical factors.

Results

Our analysis included 1232 individuals who underwent a head computed tomography scan. Intracranial vascular calcifications were found in most individuals (>90%) and their prevalence was higher than that reported for age‐equivalent industrialized populations. These calcifications were significantly associated with higher age, brain atrophy, worse cognitive performance, and parkinsonian symptoms.

Conclusions

Despite the physically active subsistence lifestyle and the low rates of typical cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery disease, intracranial vascular calcifications are common in these Bolivian Amerindian people, suggesting that alternative factors may contribute to intracranial arteriosclerosis and a novel dementia phenotype.

Comments

This article was originally published in Journal of the American Heart Association, volume 15, issue 3, in 2026. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.125.043028

Recommended Citation

Barisano G, Bigjahan B, Schleifer G, Ashna M, Mack WJ, Sutherland ML, Sutherland JD, Chui HC, Law M, Fischbach TJ, et al. High prevalence of cerebrovascular calcifications and clinical correlates in indigenous Bolivian forager‐horticulturalists: A population‐based observational study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2026;15(3):eJAHA/2025/043028-T. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.125.043028

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.