Scheltens ratings, clinical white matter hyperintensities and executive functioning in the Cache County Memory Study.
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Farrer TJ; WWAMI Medical Education Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA.; Bigler ED; Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.; Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.; Tsui-Caldwell YHW; Counseling and Psychological Services, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.; Abildskov TJ; Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.; Tschanz JT; Department of Psychology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.; Welsh-Bohmer KA; Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
- Source
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101584082 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2327-9109 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 23279095 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Appl Neuropsychol Adult Subsets: MEDLINE
- Subject
- Language
- English
Objective: Examine the association between neuropsychologically assessed executive function and clinically identifiable white matter burden from magnetic resonance imaging, using a visual rating system (Scheltens Rating System) applied to the Cache County Memory Study (CCMS) archival database.
Method: We used the Scheltens Ratings Scale to quantify white matter lesion burden in the CCMS sample and used this metric as a predictor of executive function. The sample included 60 individuals with dementia and 13 healthy controls.
Results: Higher Scheltens ratings were associated with poorer task performance on an Executive Function composite score of common neuropsychological tests. This association held true for both controls and dementing cases.
Conclusions: The current findings support extensive prior literature demonstrating the association between brain vascular health determined by white matter burden and clinical outcomes based on neuropsychological assessment of cognitive performance.