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Updated: Aug 8, 2025

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Cognitive reserve moderates the association between cerebral blood flow and language performance in older adults with
Einat K Brenner1, Kelsey R Thomas2, Alexandra J Weigand3
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Higher cognitive reserve (CR) may offer protection from cognitive changes associated with reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF). We investigated CR as a moderator of the effect of CBF on cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; N = 46) and those who are cognitively unimpaired (CU; N = 101). Participants underwent arterial spin labeling MRI, which was used to quantify CBF in 4 a priori regions. Estimated verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ) served as a proxy for CR. Multiple linear regressions examined whether VIQ moderated associations between CBF and cognition and whether this differed by cognitive status. Outcomes included memory and language performance. There were 3-way interactions (CBF*VIQ*cognitive status) on category fluency when examining hippocampal, superior frontal, and inferior frontal CBF. Follow-up analyses revealed that, within the MCI but not CU group, there were CBF*VIQ interactions on fluency in all a priori regions examined, where there were stronger, positive associations between CBF and fluency at higher VIQ. Conclusion: In MCI, higher CR plays a role in strengthening CBF-fluency associations.
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