ABSTRACT
Objective To study the effect of white matter lesions location on cognitive function by comparing the correlation between the anatomical location of white matter lesions and cognitive function in leukoaraisosis(LA)patients. Methods A total of 75 LA patients with different degrees of white matter le-sion were randomly recruited.The modified Scheltens scale,Manolio scale and Fazekas scale were utilized to assess the severity of white matter lesions(WMLs)by two physicians.Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA)was used to evaluate the cognitive function.The correlation between WMLs location and cognitive function was analyzed by spearman rank correlation analysis.The t-test was used to test the differences of periventricular white matter lesions with cognitive impairment(PWMLs-CI)and periventricular white matter lesions with cognitive normal(PWMLs-CN)in each goup. Results For Fazekas scale,PWMLs were signifi-cantly correlated with the decrease scores of MoCA score(r=-0.388,P=0.007),visuospatial and executive (r=-0.466,P=0.000),delayed recall(r=-0.461,P=0.001),abstraction(r=-0.355,P=0.011)and ori-entation(r=-0.337,P=0.016)(P<0.05).For Scheltens scale,PWMLs was negatively correlated with MoCA score(r=-0.390,P=0.003),visuospatial and executive(r=-0.464,P=0.000),delayed recall(r=0.484, P=0.000),attention(r=-0.375,P=0.008)and orientation(r=-0.342,P=0.013)(P<0.05),but not in deep white matter lesions(DWMLs)(P>0.05).Compared with PWMLs-CN,executive function(42.13 ± 0.89),attention(16.36±1.24)and visuospatial(2.25±0.31)in PWMLs-CI had statistical significance(P<0.05). Conclusion White matter lesions location affect cognitive function,PWMLs are more closely related to cognitive impairement,characterized by executive function,attention and visuospatial aspects.