title: Lower susceptibility to cerebral small vessel disease in human familial longevity: the Leiden Longevity Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  On MRI, cerebral white matter lesions, lacunar infarcts, and cerebral microbleeds are common imaging correlates of cerebral small vessel damage in apparently healthy elderly individuals. We investigated whether middle-aged to elderly offspring of nonagenarian siblings, who are predisposed to become long-lived as well, have a lower prevalence of white matter lesions, lacunar infarcts, and cerebral microbleeds than control subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  All subjects were from the Leiden Longevity Study. In this study, middle-aged to elderly offspring of nonagenarian siblings, who are predisposed to become long-lived as well, were contrasted to their spouses. Cerebral small vessel disease was assessed using 3-T MRI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Offspring were less likely to have severe periventricular frontal caps (odds ratio [OR], 0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1-1.1; P trend=0.01) and severe periventricular bands (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.8; P trend=0.02). Moreover, offspring were less likely to have frontal (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.9; P trend=0.05), parietal (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.1-0.9; P trend=0.001), temporal (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.8]; P trend=0.004), and occipital subcortical white matter lesions (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.6; P trend=0.001). Prevalence of lacunar infarcts also was lower in offspring (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-1.1; P=0.07). Prevalence of microbleeds was not significantly different in offspring and control subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exceptional familial longevity is associated with a lower susceptibility to white matter lesions and lacunar infarcts, but not cerebral microbleeds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, C2-S, Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands. i.altmann-schneider@lumc.nl
authors.forename: Irmhild
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Altmann-Schneider
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Grond
authors.forename: P Eline
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Slagboom
authors.forename: Rudi G J
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Westendorp
authors.forename: Andrea B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van Buchem
authors.forename: Anton J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: de Craen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059345:Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology