Non-Invasive Screening for Early Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Hyperuricaemic Men Using Transcranial Colour-Coded...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Geriatrics
• Vascular Medicine

Background:

• Hyperuricaemia is associated with cognitive decline, but cerebral structural and hemodynamic changes are not well understood.
• Early detection of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is crucial for timely intervention in elderly populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate transcranial color-coded duplex (TCCD) sonography as a non-invasive screening tool for MCI in elderly men with hyperuricaemia.
• To assess cerebral structural and hemodynamic markers in hyperuricaemic men with and without MCI.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 195 men aged ≥ 60 years with hyperuricaemia, stratified by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores.
• TCCD measured third-ventricle width (TVW) and cerebral artery pulsatility indices (PI) and resistive indices (RI) in middle (MCA) and posterior (PCA) cerebral arteries.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and kernel density plots were used to evaluate diagnostic performance.

Main Results:

• The hyperuricaemia with MCI (HUA + MCI) group showed higher serum uric acid, greater TVW, and elevated left PCA RI and PI compared to the hyperuricaemia only (HUA) group.
• Left PCA pulsatility index (PI) was identified as the most specific marker for MCI (AUC = 0.701, specificity 90.6%).
• Distinct distributions of key parameters were confirmed by kernel density plots.

Conclusions:

• TCCD-detected ventricular enlargement and elevated PCA pulsatility are accurate indicators distinguishing MCI in hyperuricaemic men.
• TCCD offers a non-invasive, accessible, and highly specific method for early screening of MCI in at-risk populations.
• TCCD may complement existing neuroimaging and cognitive assessments for early MCI detection.