Table 1.
IMT and carotid atherosclerosis.
| Reference | Aim of study | Type of study | n MCI | n AD | n VD | n Controls | Parameters | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hofman et al. (1997) | Frequency of dementia and its subtypes in relation to atherosclerosis and apo-E | Cross-sectional | 207 | 50 | 1698 | IMT and atherosclerotic plaques in CCA and ICA, ankle and brachial systolic pressure | The risk of dementia of any type increases with the severity of atherosclerosis | |
| Modrego et al. (2008) | Correlation of cognitive decline, WML and IMT in AD | Cross-sectional | 51 | Neuropsychological tests, WML on MRI, IMT in CCA | No correlation of clinical scales with WML or IMT | |||
| Modrego et al. (2009) | Association of IMT and response to ACHEI treatment in AD | Longitudinal | 50 | IMT in CCA and neuropsychological tests at time 0 and after 6 months while on galantamine treatment | Better response to galantamine treatment in lower IMT | |||
| Morovic et al. (2009) | Difference in IMT, beta stiffness index and CCA diameter between AD and VD | Cross-sectional | 16 | 22 | IMT, beta stiffness index and lumen diameter in CCA | No significant difference in any parameter between AD and VD | ||
| Purandare et al. (2005) | Frequency of cerebral emboli, v-a circulation shunts and carotid artery disease in dementia and controls | Cross-sectional | 24 | 17 | 16 | Spontaneus cerebral emboli in MCAs, bubbles in MCAs, PSV in ICA | More cerebral microemboli in VD than controls, in AD not significant, no difference in v-a shunt or carotid stenosis between dementia and controls | |
| Silvestrini et al. (2009) | Correlation of carotid atherosclerosis progression and cognitive impairment in AD | Longitudinal | 66 | Carotid plaques, flow velocities, PI and IMT in CCA in time 0 and 12 month, while treated with galantamine | Significant correlation of cognitive decline with baseline IMT, IMT change, PI change, antihypertensive drugs | |||
| Silvestrini et al. (2011) | Association of ICA stenosis with cognitive decline progression in AD | Longitudinal | 411 | ICA plaques and flow velocities at baseline and in 12 months | Faster progression of cognitive decline in severe stenosis | |||
| van Oijen et al. (2007) | Association of atherosclerosis with dementia subtypes | Longitudinal | 476 | 78 | IMT and plaques in CCA and ICA | Higher IMT associated with greater risk of AD | ||
| Viticchi et al. (2012) | Association of carotid atherosclerosis and cerebrovascular reactivity with the risk of conversion from MCI to AD | Longitudinal | 117 | 21 | IMT and plaques in CCA, BHI in MCAs | Association of higher IMT and lower BHI with faster progression from MCI to dementia |
ACHEI, acetylcholine esterase inhibitor; AD, Alzheimer’s disease; BHI, breath holding index; CCA, common carotid artery; ICA, internal carotid artery; IMT, intima-media thickness; MCA, middle cerebral artery; MCI, mild cognitive impairment; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; PI, pulsatility index; PSV, peak systolic velocity; v-a, venous-to-arterial; VD, vascular dementia; WML, white matter lesions.