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Updated: Jun 21, 2025

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Cerebral arteriolosclerosis, lacunar infarcts, and cognition in older Black adults

Debra A Fleischman1,2,3, Konstantinos Arfanakis1,4,5, Sue E Leurgans1,2,6

  • 1Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Alzheimer'S & Dementia : the Journal of the Alzheimer'S Association
|July 11, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Arteriolosclerosis and infarcts impact cognition in older Black adults. Higher arteriolosclerosis load was linked to broader cognitive decline, while infarcts specifically affected working memory, highlighting arteriolosclerosis as a potential dementia biomarker.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Gerontology
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) increases dementia risk in older Black adults.
  • Arteriolosclerosis and ischemic lacunar infarcts are known CSVD subtypes impacting cognition.
  • The combined effects of these CSVD subtypes on cognition in this population remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the associations of arteriolosclerosis (ARTS) and ischemic lacunar infarcts with cognitive function in older Black adults.
  • To determine the differential and combined impact of these CSVD subtypes on cognitive levels and change.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized mixed models to analyze in vivo measures of arteriolosclerosis and infarcts.
  • Assessed cognitive level and change in 370 older Black adults without dementia.
  • Employed magnetic resonance imaging-derived measures for ARTS and infarcts.

Main Results:

  • Higher arteriolosclerosis load was associated with lower global cognition, episodic memory, semantic memory, and perceptual speed.
  • Higher infarct load was associated with lower working memory.
  • Neither CSVD subtype showed an association with the rate of cognitive change.

Conclusions:

  • Both arteriolosclerosis and infarcts significantly impact cognitive health in older Black adults.
  • Arteriolosclerosis demonstrates a broader effect on cognition and shows promise as an in vivo biomarker for dementia risk.
  • Further in vivo research within the Black population is crucial for understanding CSVD subtypes and cognitive health.
Abstract

Keywords:
African Americanagingcerebral small vessel diseasecognitionischemic infarctneuroimagingolder Black adult

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