title: The Effect of Vascular Neuropathology on Late-life Cognition: Results from the SMART Project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cerebral vascular pathology may contribute to cognitive decline experienced by some elderly near death. Given evidence for mixed neuropathologies in advanced age, preventing or reducing cerebrovascular burden in late life may be beneficial.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To correlate measures of cerebral vascular pathology with cognitive trajectories.
  
  
  METHODS
  Observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of 2,274 individuals who came to autopsy at a mean age of 89.3 years and 82 percent of whom had at least two cognitive assessments within the last six years of life was compiled from six centers conducting longitudinal studies.
  
  
  METHODS
  For each cognitive domain: immediate and delayed memory, language, and naming, three trajectories were examined: good, intermediate, and poor cognition. The probability of a participant belonging to each trajectory was associated with measures of cerebral vascular pathology after adjustment for demographics, APOE, and Alzheimer neuropathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A large proportion of the cohort (72-94%) experienced good or intermediate cognition in the four domains examined. The presence of arteriolosclerosis and the presence of lacunar infarcts doubled the odds of belonging to the poor cognitive trajectory for language when compared to the good trajectory. The presence of lacunar infarcts increased the odds of an intermediate or poor trajectory for immediate and delayed recall while the presence of large artery infarcts increased the odds of poor trajectories for all four cognitive domains examined. Microinfarcts and cerebral amyloid angiopathy had little effect on the trajectories.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Indicators of cerebral vascular pathology act differently on late life cognition.
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kryscio
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Abner
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota and the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Minnesota Veteran's Administration Health Care System, USA.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Hemmy
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota and the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Minnesota Veteran's Administration Health Care System, USA.
authors.forename: K O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Kuakini Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masaki
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cairns
authors.affiliation: Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Layton Aging and Alzheimer Disease Center, Oregon Health & Science University, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Woltjer
authors.affiliation: Layton Aging and Alzheimer Disease Center, Oregon Health & Science University, USA; Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Center, University of Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Dodge
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota and the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Minnesota Veteran's Administration Health Care System, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tyas
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Fardo
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Schmitt
keywords: Cognitive trajectories; cerebrovascular risk factors; late life