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Relationship between white matter changes and cognition in healthy elders
Author(s) -
Ota Miho,
Nemoto Kiyotaka,
Sato Noriko,
Yamashita Fumio,
Asada Takashi
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.2289
Subject(s) - neuropsychology , cognition , hyperintensity , white matter , magnetic resonance imaging , psychology , cardiology , cognitive decline , audiology , neuropsychological test , neurology , basal ganglia , medicine , neuroscience , dementia , radiology , central nervous system , disease
Objectives Cerebral WMHs on T2‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are common incidental findings in cognitively healthy elderly subjects. The relationship between such changes and cognitive function remains unclear. Methods The present study evaluated the relationship between the degree of white matter changes and cognitive function using data from 172 cognitively healthy subjects who underwent MRI and a battery of neuropsychological tests. The degree of WMHs was rated using a four‐point scale for images on a computer screen. Results Regarding the frontal and parieto‐occipital regions and basal ganglia region, compared with the group with no WMHs, the group with the most severe WMHs showed significantly lower performances for attention and disorientation to time, respectively. Conclusions Our results suggest that even in cognitively healthy elderly individuals, presence of large WMHs affects performance on certain cognitive domains according to their localization. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.