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The cerebrovascular pathology in Alzheimer's disease and its influence on clinical variables

Pedro J Modrego1, Consuelo Rios, José M Pérez Trullen

  • 1Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain. pmodrego@salud.aragon.es

American Journal of Alzheimer'S Disease and Other Dementias
|February 16, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Vascular pathology is common in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains but appears coincidental. This study found no correlation between vascular markers and clinical scales in mild to moderate AD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Neuroscience
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Vascular pathology frequently co-occurs with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  • Understanding the relationship between vascular factors and AD progression is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically assess the frequency of brain vascular pathology in AD patients.
  • To determine the clinical significance of vascular pathology at presentation in mild to moderate AD.

Main Methods:

  • 51 patients with mild to moderate AD were enrolled.
  • Clinical assessments included multiple validated scales (e.g., MMSE, CDR, ADAS-Cog).
  • Brain MRI and carotid echo Doppler measured vascular markers (white matter hyperintensities, intima-media thickness).

Main Results:

  • No significant correlation was found between carotid intima-media thickness and clinical scales.
  • The Wahlund scale for white matter hyperintensities did not correlate with clinical scores.
  • Microinfarctions and hypertension did not influence clinical scale scores.

Conclusions:

  • Vascular pathology is a common finding in Alzheimer's disease brains.
  • In this cohort, vascular pathology appeared to be a coincident finding rather than directly influencing clinical presentation in mild to moderate AD.

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