1 research outputs found
Supplementary Material for: Findings of Vascular Brain Injury and Structural Loss from Cranial Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Elderly American Indians: The Strong Heart Study
<p><b><i>Background:</i></b> The Cerebrovascular Disease and its
Consequences in American Indians study conducted cranial MRI examination
of surviving participants of the Strong Heart Study, a longitudinal
cohort of elderly American Indians. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Of the 1,033 recruited participants, some were unable to complete the MRI (<i>n</i> = 22), some scans were unusable due to participant motion or technical errors (<i>n</i> = 13), and one community withdrew consent after data collection (<i>n</i>
= 209), leaving 789 interpretable MRI scan images. Six image sequences
were obtained in contiguous slices on 1.5T scanners. Neuroradiologists
graded white matter hyperintensities (WMH), sulci, and ventricles on a
0- to 9-point scale, and recorded the presence of infarcts and
hemorrhages. Intracranial, brain, hippocampal, and WMH volumes were
estimated by automated image processing. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The
median scores for graded measures were 2 (WMH) and 3 (sulci,
ventricles). About one-third of participants had lacunar (20%) or other
infarcts (13%); few had hemorrhages (5.7%). Findings of cortical atrophy
were also prevalent. Statistical analyses indicated significant
associations between older age and findings of vascular injury and
atrophy; male gender was associated with findings of cortical atrophy. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b>
Vascular brain injury is the likely explanation in this elderly
American Indian population for brain infarcts, hemorrhages, WMH grade,
and WMH volume. Although vascular brain injury may play a role in other
findings, independent degenerative other disease processes may underlie
abnormal sulcal widening, ventricular enlargement, hippocampal volume,
and total brain volume. Further examination of risk factors and outcomes
with these findings may expand the understanding of neurological
conditions in this understudied population.</p