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Influence of Education on Subcortical Hyperintensities and Global Cognitive Status in Vascular Dementia
Journal article

Influence of Education on Subcortical Hyperintensities and Global Cognitive Status in Vascular Dementia

Elizabeth M Lane, Robert H Paul, David J Moser, Thomas D Fletcher and Ronald A Cohen
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, Vol.17(3), pp.531-536
03/09/2011
DOI: 10.1017/S1355617711000324
PMCID: PMC5370165
PMID: 21385518
url
http://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617711000324View
Open Access

Abstract

Subcortical hyperintensities (SH) on neuroimaging are a prominent feature of vascular dementia (VaD) and SH severity correlates with cognitive impairment in this population. Previous studies demonstrated that SH burden accounts for a degree of the cognitive burden among VaD patients, although it remains unclear if individual factors such as cognitive reserve influence cognitive status in VaD. To address this issue, we examined 36 individuals diagnosed with probable VaD (age = 77.56; education = 12). All individuals underwent MMSE evaluations and MRI brain scans. We predicted that individuals with higher educational attainment would exhibit less cognitive difficulty despite similar levels of SH volume, compared to individuals with less educational attainment. A regression analysis revealed that greater SH volume was associated with lower scores on the MMSE. Additionally, education moderated the relationship between SH volume and MMSE score, demonstrating that individuals with higher education had higher scores on the MMSE despite similar degrees of SH burden. These results suggest that educational attainment buffers the deleterious effects of SH burden on cognitive status among VaD patients. (JINS, 2011, 17, 531–536)
Neuroimaging Aging Cerebrovascular Disorders Ischemia Epidemiology Dementia

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