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Correlation of White Matter Lesions, Cerebral Blood Flow, and Cognitive Decline in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia
Maobin Ye, Xiaolong Pan. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 2025-12-26
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Compared to controls, the AD/VaD patient group had a significantly higher WML volume (p < .001), reduced global CBF (p < .001), greater brain atrophy, and worse ADAS-Cog scores (p < .001). A hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis in the patient group revealed that WML volume (β = 0.55, p < .001) and global CBF (β = -0.38, p < .001) were significant independent predictors of ADAS-Cog scores after controlling for age, education, and brain atrophy. Brain atrophy itself was also a significant predictor (β = 0.21, p = .005). The model explained 72% of the variance in cognitive scores. In a clinically mixed dementia cohort, the burden of WMLs and the magnitude of CBF reduction are strongly associated with the severity of cognitive impairment. These findings highlight the critical contribution of cerebrovascular pathology to cognitive dysfunction and underscore the value of quantitative imaging markers in understanding dementia's neurobiological substrates.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Ye, M., & Pan, X. (2025). Correlation of White Matter Lesions, Cerebral Blood Flow, and Cognitive Decline in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acaf113
Vancouver
Ye M, Pan X. Correlation of White Matter Lesions, Cerebral Blood Flow, and Cognitive Decline in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. 2025. doi:10.1093/arclin/acaf113. PMID: 41615392.
BibTeX
@article{ye2025-41615392,
author = {Ye, Maobin and Pan, Xiaolong},
title = {{Correlation of White Matter Lesions, Cerebral Blood Flow, and Cognitive Decline in Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia}},
journal = {Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1093/arclin/acaf113},
pmid = {41615392},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acaf113}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Compared to controls, the AD/VaD patient group had a significantly higher WML volume (p < .001), reduced global CBF (p < .001), greater brain atrophy, and worse ADAS-Cog scores (p < .001).
- A hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis in the patient group revealed that WML volume (β = 0.55, p < .001) and global CBF (β = -0.38, p < .001) were significant independent predictors of ADAS-Cog scores after controlling for age, education, and brain atrophy.
- Brain atrophy itself was also a significant predictor (β = 0.21, p = .005).
- The model explained 72% of the variance in cognitive scores.
- In a clinically mixed dementia cohort, the burden of WMLs and the magnitude of CBF reduction are strongly associated with the severity of cognitive impairment.
Why it matters
In this study of patients with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, white matter lesion volume and reduced cerebral blood flow were significant independent predictors of cognitive impairment severity. The model explained 72% of the variance in cognitive scores.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants100
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 44/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 42 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 44 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology: journal h-index 151 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 100 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Xiaolong Pan holds only 2 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Huazhong University of Science and Technology: institution h-index 934 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41615392) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 42 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 42 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 44 out of 100. |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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