Association of silent lacunar infarct with brain atrophy and cognitive impairment.
OBJECTIVE
Silent lacunar infarct (SLI) is associated with cognitive decline and linked to an increased risk of stroke and dementia. We examined the association of SLI with MRI measures of cortical thickness, subcortical and lateral ventricular shapes and cognition in 285 ethnic Chinese elderly.


METHODS
SLI, cortical thickness, shapes of subcortical and ventricular structures were quantified using MRI. The cognitive performance was assessed using comprehensive neuropsychological tests. Linear regression was used to examine associations among SLI, brain measures and cognition.


RESULTS
SLI was associated with atrophy in multiple subcortical structures, ventricular enlargement and widespread cortical thinning. Both SLI and atrophy were independently related to poorer performance in attention, memory and language domains. Only SLI was associated with visuomotor speed and executive function, while atrophy mediated the association between SLI and visuoconstruction.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings support a vascular contribution to neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment.
Department of Bioengineering, National University of Singapore, , Singapore, Singapore.
Jamie Yu Jin
JY
Thong
Saima
S
Hilal
Yanbo
Y
Wang
Hock Wei
HW
Soon
Yanhong
Y
Dong
Simon Lowes
SL
Collinson
Tuan Ta
TT
Anh
Mohammad Kamran
MK
Ikram
Tien Yin
TY
Wong
Narayanaswamy
N
Venketasubramanian
Christopher
C
Chen
Anqi
A
Qiu
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001284:Atrophy; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015161:Dementia, Multi-Infarct / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D020772:Internal Capsule / Q000473:pathology; D020547:Lateral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012846:Singapore; D059409:Stroke, Lacunar / Q000175:diagnosis*
MRI; Neuroanatomy; Neuropsychology; Stroke