Relation between age-related decline in intelligence and cerebral white-matter hyperintensities in healthy octogenarians: a longitudinal study
Abstract
Background White-matter hyperintensities are commonly found on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of elderly people with or without dementia. Studies of the relation between severity of white-matter hyperintensities and cognitive impairment have had conflicting results. We undertook a longitudinal study of age-related decline in intellectual function and MRI at age 80 years. Methods From a cohort of 698 people born in 1914 and living in seven municipalities in Denmark, 68 healthy non-demented individuals had been tested with the Wechsler adult intelligence scale (WAIS) at ages 50, 60, and 70, and they agreed to further WAIS testing at age 80, and cerebral MRI at age 80-82 (mean age 82.3 years). We scored separately the numbers of periventricular and deep white-matter hyperintensities. Findings Scores for periventricular hyperintensities in this sample included all possible degrees of severity, but no participant scored more than 75% of maximum for deep white-matter hyperintensities. Neither type was related to the WAIS IQs of the 80-year assessment, but both were significantly associated with decline in performance IQ from age 50 to age 80 years (bivariate correlation coefficients 0.32, p=0.0087, and 0.28, p=0.0227, respectively). An analysis based on two WAIS subtests showed that the association between white-matter hyperintensities and cognitive impairment was significant only for cognitive decline in the decade 70-80 years. Interpretation Both periventricular and deep white-…
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Psychometric test scores are affected by age.
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- Authors
- Garde, E., Mortensen, E. L., Krabbe, K., Rostrup, E., & Larsson, H. B.
- Affiliations
- Copenhagen University Hospital (DK)
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Garde, Ellen
- Venue
- The Lancet
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2000-08
- Volume
- 356
- Issue
- 9230
- Pages
- 628-634
- ISSN
- 0099-5355 (ISSN-L)
- 0140-6736
- OpenAlex
- W2133185939
- Cited by
- 307
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 5.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Lancet (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Cerebrovascular and genetic disorders
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- white matter hyperintensities, age-related cognitive decline, intelligence, octogenarians, periventricular white matter hyperintensities, deep white matter hyperintensities, performance IQ, cognitive impairment, healthy older adults, longitudinal cognitive change
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Brain, Cerebral Ventricles, Cognition Disorders, Demography, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Longitudinal Studies, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Middle Aged, Regression Analysis, Wechsler Scales, Cohort Studies
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