title: Corpus callosum atrophy is associated with mental slowing and executive deficits in subjects with age-related white matter hyperintensities: the LADIS Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous research has indicated that corpus callosum atrophy is associated with global cognitive decline in neurodegenerative diseases, but few studies have investigated specific cognitive functions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of regional corpus callosum atrophy in mental speed, attention and executive functions in subjects with age-related white matter hyperintensities (WMH).
  
  
  METHODS
  In the Leukoaraiosis and Disability Study, 567 subjects with age-related WMH were examined with a detailed neuropsychological assessment and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. The relationships of the total corpus callosum area and its subregions with cognitive performance were analysed using multiple linear regression, controlling for volume of WMH and other confounding factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Atrophy of the total corpus callosum area was associated with poor performance in tests assessing speed of mental processing--namely, trail making A and Stroop test parts I and II. Anterior, but not posterior, corpus callosum atrophy was associated with deficits of attention and executive functions as reflected by the symbol digit modalities and digit cancellation tests, as well as by the subtraction scores in the trail making and Stroop tests. Furthermore, semantic verbal fluency was related to the total corpus callosum area and the isthmus subregion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Corpus callosum atrophy seems to contribute to cognitive decline independently of age, education, coexisting WMH and stroke. Anterior corpus callosum atrophy is related to the frontal-lobe-mediated executive functions and attention, whereas overall corpus callosum atrophy is associated with the slowing of processing speed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. hanna.jokinen@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jokinen
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ryberg
authors.forename: Hely
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kalska
authors.forename: Raija
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ylikoski
authors.forename: Egill
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rostrup
authors.forename: Mikkel B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Stegmann
authors.forename: Gunhild
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Waldemar
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Madureira
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.forename: Elizabeth C W
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: van Straaten
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scheltens
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barkhof
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fazekas
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carlucci
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pantoni
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Inzitari
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Erkinjuntti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D001284:Atrophy; D001288:Attention; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D012044:Regression Analysis