Title | Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts on 3 Tesla MRI in Patients with Vascular Cognitive Impairment. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2017 |
Authors | Ferro, DA, van Veluw, SJ, Koek, HL, Exalto, LG, Biessels, GJan |
Corporate Authors | Utrecht Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) Study group |
Journal | J Alzheimers Dis |
Volume | 60 |
Issue | 4 |
Pagination | 1443-1450 |
Date Published | 2017 |
ISSN | 1875-8908 |
Abstract | BACKGROUND: Cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) are small ischemic lesions that are a common neuropathological finding in patients with stroke or dementia. CMIs in the cortex can now be detected in vivo on 3 Tesla MRI. OBJECTIVE: To determine the occurrence of CMIs and associated clinical features in patients with possible vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). METHOD: 182 memory-clinic patients (mean age 71.4±10.6, 55% male) with vascular injury on brain MRI (i.e., possible VCI) underwent a standardized work-up including 3 Tesla MRI and cognitive assessment. A control group consisted of 70 cognitively normal subjects (mean age 70.6±4.7, 60% male). Cortical CMIs and other neuroimaging markers of vascular brain injury were rated according to established criteria. RESULT: Occurrence of CMIs was higher (20%) in patients compared to controls (10%). Among patients, the presence of CMIs was associated with male sex, history of stroke, infarcts, and white matter hyperintensities. CMI presence was also associated with a diagnosis of vascular dementia and reduced performance in multiple cognitive domains. CONCLUSION: CMIs on 3 Tesla MRI are common in patients with possible VCI and co-occur with imaging markers of small and large vessel disease, likely reflecting a heterogeneous etiology. CMIs are associated with worse cognitive performance, independent of other markers of vascular brain injury. |
DOI | 10.3233/JAD-170481 |
Alternate Journal | J. Alzheimers Dis. |
PubMed ID | 29036822 |