Background: Inadequate self-care is linked to poor health outcomes in heart failure (HF). Self-care depends on decision-making abilities, but links between self-care and brain injury to executive decision-making regulatory areas (prefrontal cortices) are unclear.
Objective: We investigated the relationships between HF self-care and status of prefrontal cortices.
Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging-based diffusion tensor imaging was performed in 21 patients with HF (age, 53.8 ± 7.9 years; 15 men; left ventricular ejection fraction, 25.1% ± 6.1%), and self-care and executive function were measured with the Self-care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) and Trail Making Test B. Using diffusion tensor imaging data, mean diffusivity (MD) maps were calculated and region-of-interest analyses were performed on the left and right prefrontal brain areas. Statistical analyses consisted of partial correlations (covariates, age, and gender).
Results: The mean ± SD SCHFI scores were 70.78 ± 11.37 for maintenance, 70 ± 17.32 for management, and 74.91 ± 15.76 for confidence. The mean ± SD Trail Making Test B score was 90.2 ± 73.3 seconds. The mean ± SD MD values (higher values indicate tissue injury) of the left and right prefrontal cortices were 1.46 ± 0.16 (×10 mm/s) and 1.44 ± 0.14 (×10 mm/s), respectively. Significant negative correlations emerged between prefrontal MD values and SCHFI maintenance (left/right, r = -0.64/-0.70; P < .003) and SCHFI management (r = -0.93/-0.86; P < .003). Significant positive correlations were observed between prefrontal MD values and Trail Making Test B (r = 0.71/0.74; P < .001). A nonsignificant correlation emerged between prefrontal MD values and SCHFI confidence scores.
Conclusions: Brain tissue integrity in executive function regulatory regions is associated with HF self-care for maintenance and management. The findings indicate that protection and brain injury repair in executive control areas may improve HF self-care.