White Matter Hyperintensities According to Neuroimaging Analysis, Cognitive Impairment and Emotional Disorders: Is There a Link?

Abstract

Background. Cognitive decline is one of leading contributors to the loss of independence in older adults. Therefore, early diagnosis and detection of  potentially modifiable cognitive disorders is  a significant challenge for modern geriatrics.Aim. To assess the relationship between cognitive impairment and presence of leukoareosis through neuroimaging in older adults.Materials and methods. General population cohort study of  102  patients aged 60–98  years treated at  The St. Petersburg Hospital for War Veterans between September and December 2019. Cognitive assessment (The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)), depression (The Geriatric Depression Scale), sleep complaints, subjective cognitive decline, computed tomography (CT) scan.Results. The studied patients were divided into two groups: with the presence of  leukoareosis (n=59) and without leukoareosis (n=43). Patients with leukoareosis had significantly lower total MoCA scores. They performed significantly worse in  domains of  visual–structural skills and attention. As  for MMSE, patients with leukoareosis also performed significantly worse in  repeating a  sentence and descending subtraction task. There was no  statistically significant difference in GDS scores between the two groups. However, patients with leukoareosis significantly more frequently considered their lives less fulfilling and their memory worse. They also abandoned most of their former interests.Conclusion. If  leukoareosis is  detected on  CT scans, it  is necessary to  evaluate cognitive functions; the presence of leukoareosis in patients was associated with an increased risk of cognitive disorders and depression.