PubMed ID: 22854188
Author(s): Zhong W, Cruickshanks KJ, Schubert CR, Acher CW, Carlsson CM, Klein BE, Klein R, Chappell RJ. Carotid atherosclerosis and 10-year changes in cognitive function. Atherosclerosis. 2012 Oct;224(2):506-10. doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2012.07.024. Epub 2012 Jul 25. PMID 22854188
Journal: Atherosclerosis, Volume 224, Issue 2, Oct 2012
BACKGROUND Carotid atherosclerosis has been suggested to be involved in cognitive decline.
METHODS The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study is a longitudinal study of aging among Beaver Dam residents, WI. In 1998-2000, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque were measured by ultrasound; cognitive function was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Follow-up examinations were conducted in 2003-2005 and 2009-2010. Incidence of cognitive impairment was defined as an MMSE score <24 or reported physician-diagnosed dementia during the follow-up. In the last examination, five additional cognitive tests were added. The associations of carotid atherosclerosis with incident cognitive impairment and cognitive test performance ten years later were evaluated.
RESULTS A total of 1651 participants (mean age 66.8 years, 41% men) without cognitive impairment at baseline were included in the incidence analysis. IMT was associated with incidence of cognitive impairment after multiple adjustments (hazard ratio: 1.09, p = 0.02 for each 0.1 mm increase in IMT). A total of 1311 participants with atherosclerosis data at baseline had the additional cognitive tests 10 years later. Larger IMT was associated with longer time to complete the Trail-Making Test-part B after multiple adjustments (0.1 mm IMT: 2.3 s longer, p = 0.02). Plaque was not associated with incident cognitive impairment or cognitive test performance 10 years later.
CONCLUSIONS In this population-based longitudinal study, carotid IMT was associated with a higher risk of developing cognitive impairment during the 10-year follow-up, and was associated with poorer performance in a test of executive function 10 years later.
Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.