Relationship Between White Matter Lesions and Progression of Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer's Disease

Overview

Journal Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra

Publisher Karger

Specialty Geriatrics

Date 2013 May 3

PMID 23637702

Citations 3

Authors

Noriyuki Kimura

Hiroshi Nakama

Kenichiro Nakamura

Yasuhiro Aso

Toshihide Kumamoto

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: This study examined the relationship between baseline white matter lesions (WMLs) and the progression of cognitive decline in patients with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: Fifty-six patients with AD were included in the study (23 men, 33 women; mean age, 77.8 years). All subjects were treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and followed up for approximately 1 year. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was assessed at least twice to evaluate the progressive cognitive impairment. All subjects underwent brain MRI at baseline and were divided into WMLs(-), mild WMLs(+), and moderate WMLs(+) groups based on WML severity. Changes in MMSE scores between baseline and follow-up were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Results: MMSE scores at baseline did not differ significantly among the three groups (p = 0.1658), whereas MMSE scores at the follow-up evaluation were significantly lower in the moderate WMLs(+) group than in the WMLs(-) group (p = 0.0257). The mean MMSE scores remained above baseline values during the approximately 1-year follow-up in the WMLs(-) group, whereas they were decreased in the mild and moderate WMLs(+) groups. Moreover, the frequency of improvement in patients from the WMLs(-) group tended to be higher than that in patients from the WMLs(+) groups.

Conclusion: Baseline WMLs may be associated with the heterogeneous progression of cognitive decline in patients with AD.

Citing Articles

Prediction of Cognitive Decline from White Matter Hyperintensity and Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography in Alzheimer's Disease.

Tabei K, Kida H, Hosoya T, Satoh M, Tomimoto H Front Neurol. 2017; 8:408.

PMID: 28928704 PMC: 5591322. DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2017.00408.

Prefrontal Lobe Brain Reserve Capacity with Resistance to Higher Global Amyloid Load and White Matter Hyperintensity Burden in Mild Stage Alzheimer's Disease.

Chang Y, Huang C, Chen N, Lin K, Huang S, Chang Y PLoS One. 2016; 11(2):e0149056.

PMID: 26872386 PMC: 4752238. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149056.

Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Appear Not to Be Associated with Alzheimer's Disease Later in Life.

Abheiden C, van Doornik R, Aukes A, van der Flier W, Scheltens P, de Groot C Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra. 2015; 5(3):375-85.

PMID: 26557136 PMC: 4637816. DOI: 10.1159/000439043.

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