Correlation between basal ganglia-enlarged perivascular space and executive function in patients with recent small subcortical infarct / 中华神经医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To identify the influencing factors for cognitive impairment in patients with recent small subcortical infarct (RSSI), and explore the relationship between enlarged perivascular space (EPVS) and executive function in patients with RSSI.Methods:From February to December 2021, 115 patients with RSSI accepted treatment in Department of Neurology, Changzhou Second People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University were enrolled. According to Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scores, these patients were divided into normal cognitive function group (MoCA scores≥26, n=45) and cognitive impairment group (MoCA scores<26, n=70); univariate analysis was used to analyze the differences of general clinical data and EPVS volume between the two groups; multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent influencing factors for RSSI combined with cognitive impairment. Patients were further divided into EPVS non-mild group and EPVS moderate-severe group according to EPVS visual assessment; the differences of scores of different executive function domains were compared between the two groups; Spearman correlation analysis was used to observe the relationships of EPVS grading and volume with executive function. Results:Patients in the cognitive impairment group had significantly older age, significantly higher serum creatinine level, proportion of patients with moderate-severe basal ganglia EPVS (BG-EPVS) and BG-EPVS volume, and significantly lower years of education as compared with those in the normal cognitive function group ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that BG-EPVS volume ( OR=1.421, 95%CI: 1.028-1.965, P=0.034) was an independent risk factor for RSSI combined with cognitive impairment. MoCA total scores, scores of visual space and executive function domains in patients of the BG-EPVS moderate-severe group were significantly lower than those in patients of the BG-EPVS non-mild group, while Z-scores of Stroop color word test (SCWT) and trail making test (TMT), and total Z-scores of executive function were significantly higher than those in patients of the BG-EPVS non-mild group ( P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that BG-EPVS grading and volume were positively correlated with total Z-scores of executive function in RSSI patients with cognitive impairment ( r=0.439, P=0.001; r=0.410, P=0.001). Conclusion:BG-EPVS volume is an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment, and both BG-EPVS grading and volume are correlated with impairment degrees of executive function in cognitive function in RSSI patients.