Scheltens ratings, clinical white matter hyperintensities and executive functioning in the Cache County Memory Study.

OBJECTIVE: Examine the association between neuropsychologically assessed executive function and clinically identifiable white matter burden from magnetic resonance imaging, using a visual rating system (Scheltens Rating System) applied to the Cache County Memory Study (CCMS) archival database. METHOD: We used the Scheltens Ratings Scale to quantify white matter lesion burden in the CCMS sample and used this metric as a predictor of executive function. The sample included 60 individuals with dementia and 13 healthy controls. RESULTS: Higher Scheltens ratings were associated with poorer task performance on an Executive Function composite score of common neuropsychological tests. This association held true for both controls and dementing cases. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings support extensive prior literature demonstrating the association between brain vascular health determined by white matter burden and clinical outcomes based on neuropsychological assessment of cognitive performance.

Duke Scholars

Author Kathleen Anne Welsh-Bohmer Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neur ...