Only White Matter Hyperintensities Predicts Post-Stroke Cognitive Performances Among Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Markers: Results from the TABASCO Study.
White matter hyperintensities (WMH) were shown to predict cognitive decline following stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). However, WMH are only one among other radiological markers of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD).



The aim of this study was to determine whether adding other SVD markers to WMH improves prediction of post-stroke cognitive performances.



Consecutive first-ever stroke or TIA patients (n = 266) from the Tel Aviv Acute Brain Stroke Cohort (TABASCO) study were enrolled. MRI scans were performed within seven days of stroke onset. We evaluated the relationship between cognitive performances one year following stroke, and previously suggested total SVD burden score including WMH, lacunes, cerebral microbleeds (CMB), and perivascular spaces (PVS).



Significant negative associations were found between WMH and cognition (p < 0.05). Adding other SVD markers (lacunes, CMB, PVS) to WMH did not improve predication of post-stroke cognitive performances. Negative correlations between SVD burden score and cognitive scores were observed for global cognitive, memory, and visual spatial scores (all p < 0.05). However, following an adjustment for confounders, no associations remained significant.



WMH score was associated with poor post-stroke cognitive performance. Adding other SVD markers or SVD burden score, however, did not improve prediction.
Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Jeremy
J
Molad
Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Functional Brain Center, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Efrat
E
Kliper
Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Amos D
AD
Korczyn
Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Einor
E
Ben Assayag
Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Functional Brain Center, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Sagol School of Neurosciense, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Dafna
D
Ben Bashat
Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Shani
S
Shenhar-Tsarfaty
Department of Radiology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Orna
O
Aizenstein
Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Ludmila
L
Shopin
Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Natan M
NM
Bornstein
Department of Neurology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Eitan
E
Auriel
D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D059345:Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000523:psychology; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
Cognition; TABASCO; small vessel disease burden; stroke; white matter hyperintensities