Matsumoto L, et al. – This study was meant to clarify if carotid atherosclerosis and its risk factors are associated with cognitive decline. Findings demonstrated that subclinical carotid atherosclerosis, defined as thickened intima-media thickness (IMT), could be a marker for early stages of cognitive impairment (CI), especially for immediate memory recall and the impairment was supposedly attributed to cerebral microvascular dysfunction in the frontal lobe.

Methods

• Researchers assessed 206 individuals who visited their center for health screening.
• They performed physical examinations, blood tests, intima–media thickness (IMT) measurement by carotid ultrasonography, brain magnetic resonance imaging scanning and cognitive function assessments.
• A total of 30 individuals, who had significant cerebrovascular lesions detected in magnetic resonance imaging scans, were excluded.
• To detect early cognitive decline, researchers defined “cognitive impairment (CI)” when a patient satisfied at least one of three criteria.
• These were Mini–Mental State Examination score <24, clock–drawing test score <4 coexisting with forgetfulness and Wechsler Memory Scale–revised delayed recall score below the normal range for the duration of education (>16 years of education: ≥9, 10–15 years: ≥5, 0–9 years: ≥3).

Results

• Findings reported that among 176 individuals, 27 were placed in the CI group.
• Researchers observed that IMT was significantly higher in the CI group as compared with the non–CI group (mean ± SD: 2.0 ± 1.0 vs 1.7 ± 0.7, P = 0018 by Student's t–test).
• They also noted that other atherosclerotic risk factors, such as blood pressure, low–density lipoprotein cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1c, were not significantly different between the two groups.
• In multivariate analysis, it was highlighted that maximum IMT was associated with impaired immediate recall score on Wechsler Memory Scale–revised, independent of the presence of deep white matter hyperintensities on the magnetic resonance imaging scan.