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Updated: Oct 4, 2025
Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Basal ganglia calcifications: No association with cognitive function
Esther Jm de Brouwer1, Nienke Ms Golüke1, Jules J Claus2
1University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Department of Geriatrics, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Tergooi Medical Center, Department of Geriatrics, Blaricum, the Netherlands.
Insights
Basal ganglia calcifications (BGC) were not linked to cognitive decline in patients. Female gender was a risk factor for BGC, while hypertension and its treatment showed a protective effect.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Radiology
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Basal ganglia calcifications (BGC) are common findings on brain CT scans.
- BGC represent a form of vascular calcification within the brain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between BGC and cognitive function.
- To examine the relationship between vascular risk factors and the presence of BGC.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1992 patients from a memory clinic underwent cognitive testing and brain CT.
- Vascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and smoking were assessed.
- Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were employed to identify risk factors and cognitive associations.
Main Results:
- 43.5% of patients exhibited BGC.
- BGC were associated with female gender (OR 1.27) but inversely with hypertension (OR 0.74) and antihypertensive drug use (OR 0.79).
- No significant association was found between BGC presence/severity and cognitive function or other vascular risk factors.
Conclusions:
- BGC were not associated with cognitive function in this patient cohort.
- Female gender emerged as a risk factor for BGC.
- Hypertension and antihypertensive medication use were associated with a reduced risk of BGC.
Background And Purpose:
Basal ganglia calcifications (BGC), a form of vascular calcification, are a common brain computed tomography (CT) finding. We investigated whether BGC are associated with cognitive function and examined the association between vascular risk factors and BGC.
Material And Methods:
Patients who visited a memory clinic of a Dutch general hospital between April 2009 and April 2015 were included. The patients underwent a standard diagnostic work up including cognitive tests (Cambridge Cognitive Examination, including the Mini Mental State Examination) and brain CT. Vascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and smoking were assessed. CTs were analyzed for presence and severity (absent, mild, moderate or severe) of BGC. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for BGC and linear regression for the association between BGC and cognitive function.
Results:
Of the 1992 patients, 40.3% was male. The median age was 80 years and 866 patients (43.5%) had BGC. BGC was associated with female gender (odds ratio (OR) 1.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.53, p 0.011), and inversely associated with hypertension (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.60-0.89, p 0.002) and use of antihypertensive drugs (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64-0.98, p 0.031). No association was found between presence and severity of BGC and cognitive function or other vascular risk factors.
Conclusions:
No association with cognitive function was found. Risk factors for BGC were female gender, while hypertension and antihypertensive drug use were associated with a lower risk of BGC.
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