Early- vs late-onset subcortical vascular cognitive impairment

dementia

 

Early- vs late-onset subcortical vascular cognitive impairment

 

http://tinyurl.com/hyhtq4n

 

Young Kyoung Jang, MDHunki Kwon, MSYeo Jin Kim, MDNa Yeon Jung, MDJin SanLee, MDJuyoun Lee, MDJuhee Chin, PhDKiho Im, PhDSeun Jeon, PhDJong Min Lee, PhDJoon-Kyoung Seong, PhDJeong Hun Kim, MSSeonwoo Kim, PhDYearn Seong Choe, PhDKyung-Han Lee, MD, PhDSung Tae Kim, MD, PhDJae Seung Kim, MD, PhDJae Hong Lee, MD, PhDDuk L. Na, MD, PhDSang Won Seo, MD, PhD and Hee Jin Kim, MD

 

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Correspondence to Dr. Kim: evekhj@gmail.com

 

Neurology February 9, 2016 vol. 86 no. 6 527-534
 

ABSTRACT

 

Objective: To evaluate the differences between early-onset subcortical vascular cognitive impairment (EO-SVCI) and late-onset subcortical vascular cognitive impairment (LO-SVCI) with regard to pathologic burden, structural changes, and cognitive function.

 

Methods: We prospectively recruited 142 patients from a single referral center. Patients were divided into EO-SVCI (n = 30, age at onset <65 years) and LO-SVCI (n = 112, age at onset ≥65 years) groups. All patients underwent neuropsychological tests, 3T brain MRI, and [11C] Pittsburgh compound B (PiB)–PET. We compared pathologic burden such as small vessel disease and amyloid burden; structural changes such as structural network, cortical thickness, and hippocampal volume; and cognitive function between EO-SVCI and LO-SVCI.

 

Results: EO-SVCI patients had more lacunes, while LO-SVCI patients had higher PiB standardized uptake value ratios. EO-SVCI patients exhibited more severe structural network disruptions in the frontal area, while LO-SVCI patients exhibited more severe cortical and hippocampal atrophy. Although disease severity did not differ between the 2 groups, frontal-executive dysfunction was more severe in EO-SVCI patients.

 

Conclusions: EO-SVCI patients showed more vascular related factors, while LO-SVCI patients exhibited more Alzheimer disease–related characteristics. The greater number of lacunes in EO-SVCI might account for the more severe frontal network disruption and frontal-executive dysfunction, while the greater amyloid burden in LO-SVCI might account for the more severe cortical and hippocampal atrophy. Our findings suggest that the age at onset is a crucial factor that determines distinct features in SVCI patients, such as pathologic burden, structural changes, and cognitive function.