High frequency of silent brain infarcts associated with cognitive deficits in an economically disadvantaged population

Autor(es)

Squarzoni, Paula ^[1] ; Tamashiro-Duran, Jaqueline H. ^[1] ; Duran, Fabio L. S. ^[1] ; Leite, Claudia C. ^[2] ; Wajngarten, Mauricio ^[3] ; Scazufca, Marcia ^[1] ; Menezes, Paulo R. ^[4] ; Lotufo, Paulo A. ^[5] ; Alves, Tania C. T. F. ^[1] ; Busatto, Geraldo F. ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Hosp Clin HCFMUSP, Inst Psiquiatria IPQ, Dept Psiquiatria, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med FMUSP, Dept Radiol & Oncol, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Hosp Clin HCFMUSP, Inst Coracao InCor, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med FMUSP, Dept Med Prevent, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med FMUSP, Ctr Pesquisa Clin & Epidemiol, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Clinics; v. 72, n. 8, p. 474-480, AUG 2017.
• Citações Web of Science: 3

Resumo

OBJECTIVE: Using magnetic resonance imaging, we aimed to assess the presence of silent brain vascular lesions in a sample of apparently healthy elderly individuals who were recruited from an economically disadvantaged urban region (São Paulo, Brazil). We also wished to investigate whether the findings were associated with worse cognitive performance. METHODS: A sample of 250 elderly subjects (66-75 years) without dementia or neuropsychiatric disorders were recruited from predefined census sectors of an economically disadvantaged area of Sao Paulo and received structural magnetic resonance imaging scans and cognitive testing. A high proportion of individuals had very low levels of education (4 years or less, n=185; 21 with no formal education). RESULTS: The prevalence of at least one silent vascular-related cortical or subcortical lesion was 22.8% (95% confidence interval, 17.7-28.5), and the basal ganglia was the most frequently affected site (63.14% of cases). The subgroup with brain infarcts presented significantly lower levels of education than the subgroup with no brain lesions as well as significantly worse current performance in cognitive test domains, including memory and attention (p<0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Silent brain infarcts were present at a substantially high frequency in our elderly sample from an economically disadvantaged urban region and were significantly more prevalent in subjects with lower levels of education. Covert cerebrovascular disease significantly contributes to cognitive deficits, and in the absence of magnetic resonance imaging data, this cognitive impairment may be considered simply related to ageing. Emphatic attention should be paid to potentially deleterious effects of vascular brain lesions in poorly educated elderly individuals from economically disadvantaged environments. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 04/15336-5 - Alterações cerebrais associadas a fatores de risco cardiovascular: um estudo de base populacional usando morfometria voxel-a-voxel por ressonância magnética e medidas de metabolismo de glicose por tomografia por emissão de pósitrons
• Beneficiário: Geraldo Busatto Filho
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 13/03231-3 - Padrões de atrofia cortical e déficits cognitivos associados ao envelhecimento saudável: um estudo de seguimento por ressonância magnética estrutural
• Beneficiário: Paula Squarzoni da Silveira
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado