title: Cerebral Small Vessel Disease and Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome: Results from the Kerala-Einstein Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The contribution of cerebral small vessel disease to cognitive decline, especially in non-Caucasian populations, is not well established.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We examined the relationship between cerebral small vessel disease and motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a recently described pre-dementia syndrome, in Indian seniors.
  
  
  METHODS
  139 participants (mean age 66.6 ± 5.4 y, 33.1% female) participating in the Kerala-Einstein study in Southern India were examined in a cross-sectional study. The presence of cerebral small vessel disease (lacunar infarcts and cerebral microbleeds (CMB)) and white matter hyperintensities on MRI was ascertained by raters blinded to clinical information. MCR was defined by the presence of cognitive complaints and slow gait in older adults without dementia or mobility disability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-eight (27.3%) participants met MCR criteria. The overall prevalence of lacunar infarcts and CMB was 49.6% and 9.4% , respectively. Lacunar infarcts in the frontal lobe, but no other brain regions, were associated with MCR even after adjusting for vascular risk factors and presence of white matter hyperintensities (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 4.67, 95% CI: 1.69-12.94). Frontal lacunar infarcts were associated with slow gait (aOR: 3.98, 95% CI: 1.46-10.79) and poor performance on memory test (β: -1.24, 95% CI: -2.42 to -0.05), but not with cognitive complaints or non-memory tests. No association of CMB was found with MCR, individual MCR criterion or cognitive tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frontal lacunar infarcts are associated with MCR in Indian seniors, perhaps, by contributing to slow gait and poor memory function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Allali
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Science and Interventional Radiology, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Chandrasekharan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kesavadas
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Baby Memorial Hospital, Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Mohan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Noone
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Baby Memorial Hospital, Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Vayyattu G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Pradeep
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.|Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Helena M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Blumen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.|Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Verghese
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D059345:Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007194:India; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D059409:Stroke, Lacunar / Q000473:pathology*; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Aging; cerebral small vessel diseases; cognition; frontal lobe; gait; lacunar infarct; magnetic resonance imaging; memory