Individual cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) may cause cognitive decline. However, the association between total burden of CSVD and cognitive deterioration in the general population remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether total CSVD score is associated with cognitive performance change and incident dementia in the general population. In the longitudinal population-based Taizhou Imaging Study, 556 participants free of neurological disorders underwent brain MRI and neuropsychological testing at baseline. A total of 456 participants were followed up for cognitive performance for a mean (standard deviation) of 4.6 (0.6) years. Total CSVD score (range 0-4) was calculated by assigning 1 point for the presence of each of the following markers: lacune, white matter hyperintensity, cerebral microbleed, and perivascular space. Beta regression was used to evaluate the association between total CSVD burden and MMSE score change. The association of prevalent CSVD with incident dementia was studied using Fisher's exact test. CSVDs were present in 262 individuals (47.1%). The total CSVD score was significantly associated with MMSE score decline (p = 0.001). Compared to those with no CSVD, participants with 4 CSVD markers had a steeper decline in MMSE score (β: -0.53, 95% CI: -0.86 to -0.21; p = 0.001). A total of 15 participants developed dementia during follow-up. The presence of more than three CSVD markers at baseline was associated with a significantly higher risk of dementia (p = 0.020). Total CSVD burden appears to be associated with MMSE score decline and incident dementia in a general population in China.
Keywords: Cerebral small vessel disease; cognitive dysfunction; dementia; magnetic resonance imaging.