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Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Using Retinal Imaging to Study Dementia
Published on: November 6, 2017
Complex relationships of socioeconomic status with vascular and Alzheimer's pathways on cognition
Dror Shir1, Jonathan Graff-Radford1, Angela J Fought2
1Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Introduction:
AD and CVD, which frequently co-occur, are leading causes of age-related cognitive decline. We assessed how demographic factors, socioeconomic status (SES) as indicated by education and occupation, vascular risk factors, and a range of biomarkers associated with both CVD (including white matter hyperintensities [WMH], diffusion MRI abnormalities, infarctions, and microbleeds) and AD (comprising amyloid-PET and tau-PET) collectively influence cognitive function.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional population study, structural equation models were utilized to understand these associations in 449 participants (mean age (SD) = 74.5 (8.4) years; 56% male; 7.5% cognitively impaired).
Results:
(1) Higher SES had a protective effect on cognition with mediation through the vascular pathway. (2) The effect of amyloid directly on cognition and through tau was 11-fold larger than the indirect effect of amyloid on cognition through WMH. (3) There is a significant effect of vascular risk on tau deposition.
Discussion:
The utilized biomarkers captured the impact of CVD and AD on cognition. The overall effect of vascular risk and SES on these biomarkers are complex and need further investigation.
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