Key result
Carotid endarterectomy is linked to improved task-induced alpha power and better 1-year cognitive function.
Why the study?
Findings on cognitive outcomes after CEA are inconsistent, and the associated changes in task-related brain electrophysiology remain unknown.
Does carotid endarterectomy improve task-related brain electrophysiology and cognitive functions in recently symptomatic carotid stenosis patients?
Observational (n=5)
No
Does carotid endarterectomy improve task-related brain electrophysiology and cognitive functions in recently symptomatic carotid stenosis patients?
Mean Difference: 1.149 (95% CI 0.048–2.25)
p-value: p=0.043
This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of using MEG to evaluate postoperative neural electrophysiological changes, showing parallel improvements in cortical oscillation and working memory following carotid endarterectomy.
MEG may detect post-CEA cognitive gains in symptomatic patients; hypothesis-generating and requires larger prospective trials before clinical use.
Revascularization ensures oxygen supply to the brain in patients with significant carotid atherosclerosis. The current indication for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is stroke risk reduction, but it may also impact cognitive functions and their neural basis. Findings on cognitive outcomes after CEA are inconsistent, and the changes in task-related brain electrophysiology are unknown. In this pilot study, we studied the feasibility of using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to follow the associated brain changes during the first postoperative year in five recently symptomatic CEA patients. Head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neuropsychological examinations (NPE), and MEG were performed prior to surgery and repeated twice postoperatively. The stimulus-induced modulation of cortical alpha oscillation changed from pre- to 12 months postoperative recording in simple attention tasks. Neuropsychological examination pointed to improvement in postoperative motor dexterity and working memory. Our tentative results suggest that MEG may provide a useful means to evaluate CEA-related changes in the brain. Additional analyses in larger samples with age-matched controls are required to confirm the link between the changes in brain function and possible improvement in cognitive function in these patients. Increased understanding of the consequences of CEA on brain function and cognition is important both to clinicians and patients.
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Kukkonen et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Symptomatic carotid stenosis (n=5). Carotid endarterectomy vs. Preoperative baseline was evaluated on Change in task-induced oscillatory alpha power at 500-1000 ms in temporal areas during simple attention task (POST12 vs PRE) (Mean change +1.149, 95% CI 0.048-2.250, p=0.043). Carotid endarterectomy in symptomatic patients significantly increased task-induced alpha oscillatory power (mean difference 1.15) and improved working memory and manual dexterity at 12 months.
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