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Updated: Oct 24, 2026

Evaluation of the Cognitive Performance of Hypertensive Patients with Silent Cerebrovascular Lesions
Published on: April 23, 2021
Cerebral Artery Stenosis, Glymphatic Dysfunction, and Cognitive Trajectories: A Longitudinal Cohort Study of
Weizhuang Yuan1,2,3, Xingyang Niu1,2,3, Linfang Lan1,2,3
1Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Aims:
We aimed to investigate the role of glymphatic dysfunction in the association between stenosis and cognition.
Methods:
Older adults from a longitudinal cohort underwent magnetic resonance angiography to quantify cerebral artery stenosis burden. Glymphatic function was evaluated using diffusion tensor imaging-analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) and free water in white matter (FW-WM). Global cognitive performance was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB). Mediation analyses examined indirect effects, and longitudinal cognitive outcomes were analyzed using linear mixed-effects and Cox proportional hazards models.
Results:
Among 346 participants, 87 (25.1%) had at least one stenotic cerebral artery. Stenosis burden was associated with a lower DTI-ALPS index (β = -0.04, p = 0.003) and higher FW-WM (β = 0.01, p = 0.022). Both DTI-ALPS and FW-WM significantly mediated the association between stenosis burden and baseline MMSE, accounting for 13.06%-17.19% of the total effect. In longitudinal analyses, participants with stenosis and impaired glymphatic function had a higher risk of CDR-SB worsening relative to those with stenosis but preserved glymphatic function (hazard ratios 1.35-2.96) and those without stenosis (hazard ratios 3.27-4.70).
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that glymphatic dysfunction may contribute to the association between cerebral artery stenosis and cognitive deterioration.
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