Key result
Carotid stiffness links to increased brain atrophy and WML volume but not four-year progression.
Why the study?
Does stiffening of the carotid arteries lead to progression of structural brain changes in patients with manifest arterial disease?
Population
Patients with manifest arterial disease
Design
Cohort
Follow-up
4 years
Authors
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Carotid stiffness links to baseline but not 4-year brain changes in arterial disease; leaves open its causal role in progression.
Does stiffening of the carotid arteries lead to progression of structural brain changes in patients with manifest arterial disease?
While carotid stiffness correlates with baseline structural brain changes in patients with arterial disease, it does not predict longitudinal progression of brain atrophy or infarcts over 4 years.
Jochemsen et al. (2015) studied this question. Carotid artery stiffness was associated with increased brain atrophy and WML volume in patients with arterial disease, but not with changes after 4 years.
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