White matter integrity and depressive symptoms in cerebral small vessel disease: The RUN DMC study.

Objective: Depressive symptoms are common in elderly with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). As not every individual with SVD experiences depressive symptoms, other factors might play a role. We therefore investigated the white matter (WM) integrity of the white matter tracts in elderly with depressive symptoms, independent of global cognitive function, by applying the tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Design: Prospective cohort study with cross-sectional baseline data. Setting: Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, The Netherlands. Participants: 438 individuals aged between 50–85 years, with SVD without dementia. Measurements: Diffusion tensor imaging parameters and depressive symptoms, assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results: Compared with non-depressed participants (N = 287), those with depressive symptoms (N = 151) had lower fractional anisotropy in the genu and body of the corpus callosum, bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, and corona radiata. These differences disappeared after adjustment for white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and lacunar infarcts. Mean-, axial- and radial diffusivity were higher in these areas in participants with depressive symptoms. After additional adjustment for WMH and lacunar infarcts, the changes observed in radial diffusivity also disappeared. Adding global cognition as confounding variable altered the diffusion parameters only slightly. Conclusion: This study indicates that elderly with depressive symptoms show a lower WM integrity, independent of global cognitive function, and that the presence of SVD is mostly responsible, affecting the fronto-subcortical regions and hereby disrupting the neural circuitry involved in mood regulation

Baseline Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Is Not Associated with Gait Decline After Five Years

Background Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is cross-sectionally associated with gait disturbances, however, the relation between baseline SVD and gait decline over time is uncertain. Furthermore, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies on gait decline are currently lacking. Objective To investigate the association between baseline imaging SVD markers and gait decline. Methods In 2006, 310 participants from the RUN DMC cohort, a prospective cohort with older adults aged 50–85 years with SVD, were included. Gait variables were assessed using a computerized walkway during baseline and follow-up. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the relation between imaging measures and gait decline and incident gait impairment (speed ≤ 1.0 m/s). Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was used to identify possible differences in DTI measures of white matter tracts between participants with and without incident gait impairment. Results Mean age was 63.3 years (SD: 8.4) and mean follow-up duration 5.4 years (SD: 0.2). No significant associations between imaging measures and gait decline were found. TBSS analysis revealed no significant differences in DTI measures between participants with and without incident gait impairment after additional adjustment for SVD. In sub-analyses, a high total WMH volume (OR: 2.8 for highest quartile, 95% CI: 1.1–7.1) and high infratentorial WMH volume (OR: 1.8 per SD increase, 95% CI: 1.1–2.9) were associated with an increased 5-year risk of gait impairment, although this was not significant after correction for multiple testing. Conclusion Baseline imaging SVD markers were not associated with gait decline or incident gait impairment after 5 years. Future studies should investigate if SVD progression is related to gait deterioration

Risk, clinical course, and outcome of ischemic stroke in patients hospitalized with COVID-19:A multicenter cohort study

The frequency of ischemic stroke in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) varies in the current literature, and risk factors are unknown. We assessed the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of acute ischemic stroke in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. METHODS: We included patients with a laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2) infection admitted in 16 Dutch hospitals participating in the international CAPACITY-COVID registry between March 1 and August 1, 2020. Patients were screened for the occurrence of acute ischemic stroke. We calculated the cumulative incidence of ischemic stroke and compared risk factors, cardiovascular complications, and in-hospital mortality in patients with and without ischemic stroke. RESULTS: We included 2147 patients with COVID-19, of whom 586 (27.3%) needed treatment at an intensive care unit. Thirty-eight patients (1.8%) had an ischemic stroke. Patients with stroke were older but did not differ in sex or cardiovascular risk factors. Median time between the onset of COVID-19 symptoms and diagnosis of stroke was 2 weeks. The incidence of ischemic stroke was higher among patients who were treated at an intensive care unit (16/586; 2.7% versus nonintensive care unit, 22/1561; 1.4%; P=0.039). Pulmonary embolism was more common in patients with (8/38; 21.1%) than in those without stroke (160/2109; 7.6%; adjusted risk ratio, 2.08 [95% CI, 1.52–2.84]). Twenty-seven patients with ischemic stroke (71.1%) died during admission or were functionally dependent at discharge. Patients with ischemic stroke were at a higher risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted risk ratio, 1.56 [95% CI, 1.13–2.15]) than patients without stroke. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter cohort study, the cumulative incidence of acute ischemic stroke in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 was ≈2%, with a higher risk in patients treated at an intensive care unit. The majority of stroke patients had a poor outcome. The association between ischemic stroke and pulmonary embolism warrants further investigation