TABLE 1.
Characteristics of study population.
| Characteristic | Total (N = 181) | VCI (N = 92) | Reference participants (N = 89) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General characteristics | ||||
| Age [years] | 66.3 ± 7.4 | 67.0 ± 7.9 | 65.5 ± 6.9 | .184 |
| Sex [n, (% women)] | 79 (43.6) | 37 (40.2) | 42 (47.2) | .344 |
| BMI [kg/m2] | 26.5 ± 3.7 | 26.5 ± 3.8 | 26.5 ± 3.6 | .943 |
| Diabetes mellitus [n, (%)] | 14 (7.7) | 12 (13.0) | 2 (2.2) | .010 |
| Hypertension [n, (%)] | 85 (47.0) | 65 (70.7) | 20 (22.5) | <.001 |
| Hypercholesterolemia [n, (%)] | 95 (52.5) | 73 (79.3) | 22 (24.7) | <.001 |
| Smoking, never/former/current (n [%]) | 60/97/24 (33.1/53.6/13.3) | 20/55/17 (21.7/59.8/18.5) | 40/42/7 (44.9/47.2/7.9) | .002 |
| History of stroke (n [%]) | 38 (21.0) | 38 (41.3) | 0 (0) | <.001 |
| History of TIA (n [%]) | 26 (14.4) | 23 (25.0) | 3 (3.4) | <.001 |
| Education, score | 5.3 ± 1.2 | 5.2 ± 1.3 | 5.4 ± 1.1 | .335 |
| Baseline MMSE | 28.3 ± 1.8 | 27.8 ± 1.2 | 28.8 ± 1.2 | <.001 |
| Brain MRI | ||||
| WMH volume (ml) | 1.63 [6.38] | 5.47 [14.30] | 0.43 [1.54] | <.001 |
| Relative WMH volume (% of ICV) | 0.11 [0.44] | 0.39 [1.08] | 0.03 [0.11] | <.001 |
| Brain volume (ml) | 1061.3 ± 108.0 | 1045.7 ± 115.9 | 1077.5 ± 97.3 | .048 |
| Relative brain volume (% of ICV) | 75.9 ± 4.7 | 74.7 ± 5.0 | 77.1 ± 3.9 | <.001 |
| Global CBF a (ml/100 g/min) | 53.9 ± 11.0 | 51.7 ± 10.6 | 56.2 ± 11.0 | .006 |
| Frontal lobe CBF a (ml/100 g/min) | 55.9 ± 10.6 | 54.1 ± 10.5 | 57.7 ± 10.5 | .020 |
| Temporal lobe CBF a [ml/100 g/min] | 50.1 ± 10.7 | 48.0 ± 9.5 | 52.2 ± 11.5 | .008 |
| Parietal lobe CBF a (ml/100 g/min) | 54.8 ± 11.1 | 53.2 ± 11.0 | 56.4 ± 11.1 | .055 |
| Occipital lobe CBF a (ml/100 g/min) | 54.9 ± 12.0 | 53.5 ± 12.3 | 56.3 ± 11.5 | .124 |
| Cognitive functioning | ||||
| Global cognitive functioning change score b | 0.005 ± 0.602 | −0.051 ± 0.815 | 0.063 ± 0.219 | <.001 |
| Memory change score b | 0.186 ± 1.081 | 0.125 ± 1.404 | 0.249 ± 0.587 | .001 |
| Attention/psychomotor speed change score b | −0.052 ± 0.798 | −0.151 ± 1.068 | 0.050 ± 0.318 | <.001 |
| Language change score b | −0.112 ± 0.953 | −0.172 ± 1.281 | −0.050 ± 0.392 | .004 |
| Executive functioning change score b | −0.001 ± 0.597 | −0.007 ± 0.689 | 0.005 ± 0.489 | .056 |
Note: Data are presented as means ± standard deviation, or median (interquartile range) or number of participants (percentages).
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CBF, cerebral blood flow; ICV, intracranial volume; MMSE, Mini‐Mental State Examination; TIA, transient ischemic attack; VCI, vascular cognitive impairment; WMH, white matter hyperintensity.
a
CBF values represent partial volume corrected CBF values.
b
Cognitive functioning change scores indicate change z‐scores, negative change scores indicate cognitive decline, whereas positive change scores indicate improved cognitive performance.