Intracranial arteriosclerosis is related to cerebral small vessel disease: a prospective cohort study

Intracranial arteriosclerosis has been increasingly recognized as a risk factor for cognitive impairment and even dementia. A possible mechanism linking intracranial arteriosclerosis to cognitive impairment and dementia involves structural brain changes including cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). To assess whether intracranial carotid artery calcification (ICAC) and vertebrobasilar artery calcification (VBAC), as proxies for intracranial arteriosclerosis, are related to CSVD. Within the population-based Rotterdam Study, between 2003 and 2006 a computed tomography (CT)-based measurement of ICAC and VBAC and at least one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurement of structural brain changes were performed from 2005 onwards in 1,489 participants. To estimate the burden of calcification independent of age, we computed age-adjusted percentile curves for ICAC and VBAC separately, based on the calcification volumes. Using the longitudinal MRI data, we assessed whether a larger calcification burden accelerates structural brain changes using appropriate statistical models for repeated outcome measures. A larger burden of ICAC and VBAC was associated with an increase of CSVD markers accelerating over time. A larger burden of ICAC and VBAC was not significantly (p > 0.05) associated with accelerated brain atrophy. Arteriosclerosis is related to accelerating structural brain changes over time.