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Total atherosclerotic burden measured by magnetic resonance imaging is related to five‐year decline in cognitive function
Author(s) -
Hansen Tomas,
Kilander Lena,
Ahlström Håkan,
Lind Lars
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
clinical physiology and functional imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.608
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-097X
pISSN - 1475-0961
DOI - 10.1111/cpf.12423
Subject(s) - medicine , cognitive decline , dementia , ageing , magnetic resonance imaging , cognition , framingham heart study , prospective cohort study , gerontology , cardiology , framingham risk score , psychiatry , disease , radiology
Summary Objective The aim of this study was to explore whether total atherosclerotic burden is related to future decline in performance on cognitive tests. Methods The total atherosclerotic burden ( TAS ) was assessed by whole‐body magnetic resonance angiography ( WBMRA ) in 305 subjects at age 70 in the study Prospective Investigation of Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors ( PIVUS ). The mini‐mental state examination ( MMSE ) and trail making tests ( TMT ) A and B were evaluated at ages 75 and 80 in 190 of those subjects. No subject with a diagnosis of dementia was included in the sample. Results MMSE did not change during the 5 years of follow‐up, while TMT A and B increased by 4 and 7 s, respectively. TAS at age 70 was significantly related to the individual change in TMT B ( P <0·0001) between age 75 and 80, when adjusted for sex, education level, TMT B at age 75 and Framingham score at age 70. No such relationship was seen for the change in TMT A ( P = 0·10). The relationship between TAS and the change in MMSE was of borderline significance ( P = 0·025). Conclusion A relationship was found between the total atherosclerotic burden and future decline in performance on TMT B, highlighting a role of global atherosclerosis in the cognitive decline seen during ageing.