Abstract

Background

Small vessel cerebrovascular dysfunction that manifests on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as white matter hyperintensities (WMH) is linked to increased risk and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but there is considerable debate about whether it represents a core feature of the disease. Parental history of dementia is a risk factor for AD, suggesting a strong heritable component; the examination of the extent to which parental history of dementia is associated with cerebrovascular disease could provide insight into the aggregation of AD and cerebrovascular disease.

Methods

This study included 481 community-dwelling older adults (mean age = 74.07 ± 5.81; 56% women) with available MRI scans. Participants were classified as having a parental history of dementia or having no parental history based on self-report. Total WMH values were calculated and compared between the two groups with general linear models, adjusting for relevant covariates. We also compared WMH volume between those with a reported sibling history of dementia and those without.

Results

One hundred twelve participants reported having a parental history of dementia and 369 reported no parental history. Those with parental history had greater total WMH volume than those without (F = 4.17, p = .042, partial η ² = 0.009). Results were strongest for those with maternal versus paternal history (F = 2.43, p = .089, partial η ² = 0.010 vs <0.001) and among Hispanic (F = 5.57, p = .020, partial η ² = 0.038) and non-Hispanic White participants (F = 4.17, p = .042, partial η ² = 0.009). Those with reported sibling history of dementia did not differ from those without.

Conclusions

Older adults with parental, particularly maternal, history of dementia have increased WMH. The results highlight the possibility that cerebrovascular changes are a core feature of AD, as WMH severity and parental history aggregate together.

中文翻译：

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痴呆症的父母史与增加的小血管脑血管疾病有关。

摘要

背景

在磁共振成像 (MRI) 上表现为白质高信号 (WMH) 的小血管脑血管功能障碍与阿尔茨海默病 (AD) 的风险和进展增加有关，但关于它是否代表该疾病的核心特征存在相当大的争议。痴呆症的父母史是 AD 的危险因素，表明其具有很强的遗传性；对父母痴呆病史与脑血管疾病相关程度的检查可以深入了解 AD 和脑血管疾病的聚集情况。

方法

这项研究包括 481 名社区居住的老年人（平均年龄 = 74.07 ± 5.81；56% 为女性），他们进行了 MRI 扫描。根据自我报告，参与者被分类为有痴呆症的父母史或没有父母史。使用一般线性模型计算并比较两组之间的总 WMH 值，调整相关协变量。我们还比较了报告有兄弟姐妹痴呆病史的人和没有痴呆症的人之间的 WMH 量。

结果

112 名参与者报告有痴呆症的父母史，369 人报告没有父母史。有父母史的人比没有父母的人具有更大的 WMH 总量（F = 4.17，p = .042，部分 η  ² = 0.009）。结果对于有母亲与父亲病史的人（F = 2.43，p = .089，部分 η  ² = 0.010 vs <0.001）以及西班牙裔（F = 5.57，p = .020，部分 η  ² = 0.038）和非-西班牙裔白人参与者（F = 4.17，p = .042，部分 η  ²= 0.009）。那些报告有兄弟姐妹痴呆病史的人与没有痴呆症的人没有区别。

结论

父母（尤其是母亲）有痴呆病史的老年人 WMH 增加。结果强调了脑血管变化是 AD 的核心特征的可能性，因为 WMH 的严重程度和父母的病史汇总在一起。