Baseline differences between vascular cognitive impairment no dementia reverters and non-reverters.
BACKGROUND
The underlying factors of reversion from cognitive impairment to normal cognitive functioning in stroke are not well understood. We compare demographic, cognitive and imaging factors in Vascular Cognitive Impairment, No Dementia (Vascular CIND) patients who revert to normal cognitive functioning to Vascular CIND patients who do not revert.


METHODS
Thirty-one ischaemic stroke patients, who met classification criteria for Vascular CIND, were >49.5 years old, met NINDS stroke criteria, and were free from additional neurological illness, completed baseline and 1-year examinations. Forty-five per cent of the Vascular CIND participants reverted to no cognitive impairment at 1-year follow-up examination.


RESULTS
There was greater cognitive impairment in non-reverters on a summary score spanning several neuropsychological domains and on psychomotor and working memory summary scores. There were no differences on demographic factors or in stroke severity between reverters and non-reverters. Structural MRI analyses revealed no baseline differences in number of strokes, stroke volume or stroke location. However, there was greater frontal white matter hyperintensity load in the non-reverter group.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that Vascular CIND reversion may be a function of a combination of baseline neuropsychological function and location of cerebrovascular disease.
Williamson
J B
JB
Center for Stroke Research, Department of Neurology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Jwillia2@uic.edu
Nyenhuis
D L
DL
Pedelty
L
L
Byrd
S
S
Jhaveri
M
M
Wang
C
C
deToledo-Morrell
L
L
Sripathirathan
K
K
Gorelick
P
P
D000368:Aged; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index