Neurology: the relationship between carotid plaque and blood flow velocity and white matter integrity in middle-aged and elderly people

It is uncertain whether carotid plaque (CP) and blood flow velocity are related to peak width mean diffusion coefficient (PSMD) and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) rather than common risk factors
.
A study published in Neurology explored this association with biomarkers that control inflammation and cardiac insufficiency, as well as typical cardiovascular risk factors and spatial distribution
.

Methods: Citizens
aged 45-74 were recruited from a population-based health study in the city of Hamburg.
History
is obtained through structured interviews and extended laboratory tests, physical examination, MRI of the head, echocardiography, abdominal and carotid ultrasound.
Multivariate regression analysis was performed with the total volume of PSMD, periventricular, deep, and WMH (pWMH, dWMH, tWMH) as the dependent variable
.
PSMD
was calculated by using a manually trained nearest neighbor segmentation algorithm to determine the difference between the 95th and 5th percentiles of MD values on the white bone of WMH standard space volume.
WMH measured within 1 cm of the lateral ventricle surface is defined as pWMH, and more than 1 cm is defined as dWMH
.

Outcome:

Low peak systolic velocity and carotid plaque were associated with high white matter intensity and mean diffusion coefficient of peak width, but were not
associated with cardiovascular risk factors and biomarkers of inflammation and cardiac insufficiency.
This suggests that the pathophysiological approach of macrovascular and small-vessel disease is beyond the risk range
of common cardiovascular diseases.

Sources: Rimmele DL, Petersen EL, Schlemm E, et al.
Association of Carotid Plaque and Flow Velocity With White Matter Integrity in a Middle-aged to Elderly Population [published online ahead of print, 2022 Sep 19].
Neurology.
2022; 10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000201297.
doi:10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000201297