Late Midlife Subclinical Infarct Burden and Risk of Dementia: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study

Kevin J. Sullivan, Michael E. Griswold, Kunali Ghelani, Aishwarya Rajesh, Srishti Shrestha, Rebecca F. Gottesman, David Knopman, Thomas H. Mosley, B. Gwen Windham

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

At visit 3 (1993-1995) of the ARIC Study, 1.5T brain MRI was completed in 1,881 stroke-free participants (Mean age=62.9±4.9, 50% Black). Cox regression examined associations between infarct group [infarct-free (referent; n=1,611), smaller only (<3mm; n=50), larger only (≥3mm but <20mm; n=185), both (n=35)] and up to 25-year incident dementia (n=539). Participants with both infarcts were over 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia [HR=2.61; 95% CI=1.44, 4.72]. Smaller only (HR=1.22; 95% CI=0.70, 2.13) and larger only (HR=1.27; 95% CI=0.92, 1.74) groups showed associations with wide confidence intervals, unsupported statistically. A late midlife infarct profile including smaller and larger infarcts may represent particular vulnerability to dementia risk.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)543-549
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Alzheimer's Disease
Volume91
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

Keywords

  • Cerebrovascular disease
  • cognition
  • dementia
  • epidemiology
  • infarct

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Geriatrics and Gerontology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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