title: Carotid atherosclerosis and 10-year changes in cognitive function.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Carotid atherosclerosis has been suggested to be involved in cognitive decline.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study is a longitudinal study of aging among Beaver Dam residents, WI. In 1998-2000, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque were measured by ultrasound; cognitive function was measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Follow-up examinations were conducted in 2003-2005 and 2009-2010. Incidence of cognitive impairment was defined as an MMSE score <24 or reported physician-diagnosed dementia during the follow-up. In the last examination, five additional cognitive tests were added. The associations of carotid atherosclerosis with incident cognitive impairment and cognitive test performance ten years later were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1651 participants (mean age 66.8 years, 41% men) without cognitive impairment at baseline were included in the incidence analysis. IMT was associated with incidence of cognitive impairment after multiple adjustments (hazard ratio: 1.09, p = 0.02 for each 0.1 mm increase in IMT). A total of 1311 participants with atherosclerosis data at baseline had the additional cognitive tests 10 years later. Larger IMT was associated with longer time to complete the Trail-Making Test-part B after multiple adjustments (0.1 mm IMT: 2.3 s longer, p = 0.02). Plaque was not associated with incident cognitive impairment or cognitive test performance 10 years later.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population-based longitudinal study, carotid IMT was associated with a higher risk of developing cognitive impairment during the 10-year follow-up, and was associated with poorer performance in a test of executive function 10 years later.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1036 WARF, 610 Walnut Street, WI 53726, USA. zhongwenjun80@gmail.com
authors.forename: Wenjun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cruickshanks
authors.forename: Carla R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Schubert
authors.forename: Charles W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Acher
authors.forename: Cynthia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: Barbara E K
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Chappell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016017:Odds Ratio; D058226:Plaque, Atherosclerotic; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014922:Wisconsin / Q000453:epidemiology