Table 1.
Longitudinal studies investigating MRI markers of SVD and their relationship to clinical measures.
| Study | Participants | N (follow-up period) | Clinical tests | MRI measure | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T2 white matter hyperintensities | |||||
| Garde et al.41 | Danish heathy subjects >50 years | 698 (3–5 years) | Wechsler adult intelligence scale | Automated quantitative | Increase in WMH volume was correlated with a decline in verbal IQ |
| Holtmann-spötter et al.5 | CADASIL | 62 (23–31 mothhs) | Rankin (disability) scale, Barthel index, global cognitive function | Semi-automated quantitative | No association between change in WMH and clinical scores |
| Van den Heuvel et al.42 | PROSPER study (elderly) | 554 (3 years) | Mental processing speed | Semi-automated quantitative | Progression of periventricular WMH was associated with a decline in processing speed |
| Liem et al.33 | CADASIL | 25+13 controls (7 years) | Global cognitive function, memory, executive function, processing speed, language, intelligence | Semi-automated quantitative | WMH were not associated with cognitive decline |
| Schmidt et al.4 | LADIS study | 394 (3 years) | Vascular dementia assessment scale | Visual rating scale (Rotterdam progression scale) | WMH progression was related to deterioration in cognitive function |
| Brain volume | |||||
| Schmidt et al.43 | Austrian Stroke Prevention Study | 329 (6 years) | Memory, learning abilities, conceptional reasoning, attention, speed, visuopractical skills | Automated quantitative (SIENA) | Brain volume loss was the strongest predictor of decline in mnestic, visuopractical and attention/speed performance |
| Peters et al.11 | CADASIL | 76 (2 years) | Rankin (disability) scale, Barthel index, global cognitive function | Automated quantitative | Brain volume change significantly correlated with all measures of disability and global cognitive functioning |
| Jokinen et al.10 | LADIS study | 477 (3 years) | MMSE, VADAS, processing speed, executive functions, memory | Visual template-based visual rating scale | Global atrophy predicted decline in MMSE, VADAS, speed and executive functions |
| Diffusion tensor imaging | |||||
| Holtmannspötter et al.5 | CADASIL | 62 (23–31 months) | Rankin (disability) scale, Barthel index, global cognitive function | Mean MD | The mean MD change correlated significantly with deterioration of physical disability and global cognitive function |
| Charlton et al.34 | Elderly subjects | 84 (2 years) | Executive function, working memory, information processing speed | Median MD | Change in MD median was associated with worsening working memory |
| Lacunes | |||||
| Jokinen et al.15 | LADIS study | 387 (3 years) | Executive function, processing speed, global cognitive function | Number of new lacunes | Incident lacunes on MRI parallel a steeper rate of decline in executive functions and psychomotor speed |
Abbreviations: CADASIL, Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leucoencephalopathy; IQ, intelligent quotient; LADIS, Leukokraurosis and Disability; MD, mean diffusivity; MMSE, Mini Mental State Examination; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; SIENA, Structural Image Evaluation using Normalisation of Atrophy; SVD, small vessel disease; VADAS, Vascular Dementia Assessment Scale; WMH, white matter hyperintensity.