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Updated: Oct 26, 2025
Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Higher Total Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden Was Associated With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Overall Cognitive
Xuanting Li1, Junliang Yuan2,3,4, Wei Qin1
1Department of Neurology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Background And Objective:
The combination of neuroimaging and cognition characteristics may provide complementary information for early identification of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This study aimed to establish the clinical relevance between cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) burden and MCI and further explored the cognitive characteristics linked to CSVD applying a propensity score matching (PSM) approach.
Methods:
The study was designed as a case-control study. All the subjects underwent the standard clinical assessments, neuropsychological testing battery (including global cognition, memory, executive function, and speed and motor control domains), and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A 1:2 nearest-neighbor matching approach without replacement was employed with a caliper of 0.15 in the PSM approach.
Results:
A total of 84 MCI patients and 186 cognitively normal controls were included in this study. After PSM, 74 MCI patients and 129 controls were successfully matched, and the covariate imbalance was well eliminated. Compared with controls, the MCI group had more severe CSVD burden. In the binary logistic regression analysis, CSVD was associated with MCI after adjusting for all confounders. The results of multivariate linear regression analyses showed that higher total MRI CSVD burden was related to the deficit of cognitive performance in global cognition and three important cognitive domains after adjusting for all confounders.
Conclusion:
Cerebral small vessel disease was an independent risk factor of MCI. Moreover, higher total MRI CSVD burden was associated with the overall cognitive impairment among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults.
Insights
Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is an independent risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Higher CSVD burden on MRI is linked to overall cognitive decline in middle-aged and older Chinese adults.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroimaging
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis can be enhanced by combining neuroimaging and cognitive assessments.
- Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a common finding in aging brains and may impact cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the clinical relevance between CSVD burden and MCI.
- To explore cognitive characteristics associated with CSVD using propensity score matching (PSM).
Main Methods:
- A case-control study design was used.
- Participants underwent clinical assessments, neuropsychological testing, and brain MRI.
- A 1:2 nearest-neighbor matching approach without replacement was employed in PSM.
Main Results:
- After PSM, 74 MCI patients and 129 controls were analyzed, with balanced covariates.
- The MCI group exhibited a more severe CSVD burden compared to controls.
- Higher CSVD burden correlated with deficits in global cognition and specific cognitive domains.
Conclusions:
- CSVD is an independent risk factor for MCI.
- Increased CSVD burden on MRI is associated with broader cognitive impairment in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults.
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