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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions

Published on: April 23, 2021

Subcortical lacunes are associated with executive dysfunction in cognitively normal elderly.

Catherine L Carey¹, Joel H Kramer, S Andrew Josephson

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 150 W. Washington, 2nd Floor San Diego, CA 92103, USA. ccarey@ucsd.edu

|December 22, 2007

Summary

Silent lacunar infarcts, a marker of subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD), are linked to poorer executive functioning in cognitively normal elderly individuals. This highlights the impact of vascular changes on brain health.

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Area of Science:

Neurology
Neuroimaging
Cognitive Science

Background:

The link between subcortical ischemic vascular disease (SIVD) and cognition in normal aging is not well understood due to inconsistent research methods.
Converging evidence suggests SIVD may specifically impair executive functions by affecting frontal-subcortical brain circuits.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between MRI-defined SIVD markers and cognitive performance in a well-characterized sample of cognitively normal elderly individuals.
To test the hypothesis that SIVD markers would be selectively associated with executive functioning deficits.

Main Methods:

Ninety-four cognitively and functionally normal participants underwent quantitative MRI and neuropsychological testing.
Volumetric MRI measures included white matter hyperintensities, lacunes, hippocampal volume, and cortical gray matter.
These measures were used to predict performance on executive functioning and episodic memory tasks.

Main Results:

A greater number of subcortical lacunes significantly predicted poorer executive functioning, even after controlling for demographic factors and cognitive screening scores.
Hippocampal volume was the strongest predictor of episodic memory performance.
White matter hyperintensities and cortical gray matter volume did not significantly predict executive functioning or episodic memory.

Conclusions:

Silent lacunar infarcts, a manifestation of SIVD, are associated with reduced executive functioning in cognitively normal elderly individuals.
These findings support the hypothesis that SIVD preferentially disrupts frontal-subcortical circuits, impacting executive control.
The prevalence of lacunar infarcts (33%) in this healthy elderly cohort underscores the clinical significance of SIVD in aging.