Home › Research › Brain scans and imaging
Memory after silent stroke: hippocampus and infarcts both matter
Blum S, Luchsinger JA, Manly JJ, Schupf N, Stern Y, Brown TR, DeCarli C, Small SA et al.. Neurology, 2012-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objective Memory decline commonly occurs among elderly individuals. This observation is often attributed to early neurodegenerative changes in the hippocampus and related brain regions. However, the contribution of vascular lesions, such as brain infarcts, to hippocampal integrity and age-associated memory decline remains unclear. Methods We studied 658 elderly participants without dementia from a prospective, community-based study on aging and dementia who received high-resolution structural MRI. Cortical and subcortical infarcts were identified, and hippocampal and relative brain volumes were calculated following standard protocols. Summary scores reflecting performance on tasks of memory, language, processing speed, and visuospatial function were derived from a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. We used multiple regression analyses to relate cortical and subcortical infarcts, hippocampal and relative brain volume, to measures of cognitive performance in domains of memory, language, processing speed, and visuospatial ability. Results Presence of brain infarcts was associated with a smaller hippocampus. Smaller hippocampus volume was associated with poorer memory specifically. Brain infarcts were associated with poorer memory and cognitive performance in all other domains, which was independent of hippocampus volume. Conclusions Both hippocampal volume and brain infarcts independently contribute to memory performance in elderly individuals without dementia. Given that age-associated neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer disease, are defined primarily by impairment in memory, these findings have clinical implications for prevention and for identification of pathogenic factors associated with disease symptomatology.
Key findings
- Results Presence of brain infarcts was associated with a smaller hippocampus.
- Smaller hippocampus volume was associated with poorer memory specifically.
- Brain infarcts were associated with poorer memory and cognitive performance in all other domains, which was independent of hippocampus volume.
- Given that age-associated neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer disease, are defined primarily by impairment in memory, these findings have clinical implications for prevention and for identification of pathogenic factors associated with disease symptomatology.
Why it matters
In elderly people without dementia, brain infarcts were associated with a smaller hippocampus, and smaller hippocampal volume was linked specifically to poorer memory. Brain infarcts were also linked to poorer memory and other cognitive domains independent of hippocampal volume, suggesting vascular lesions matter alongside hippocampal changes.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Brain scans & tests →
Study details
- Participants658
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2012 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 658 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) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 91 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.7 citations a year over 16 year(s) since 2012 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 6 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Adam M. Brickman: h-index 87 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of California, Davis: institution h-index 1,257 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 22201111) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Blum, S., Luchsinger, J. A., Manly, J. J., Schupf, N., Stern, Y., Brown, T. R., et al. (2012). Memory after silent stroke: hippocampus and infarcts both matter. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e31823ed0cc
Vancouver
Blum S, Luchsinger JA, Manly JJ, Schupf N, Stern Y, Brown TR, et al. Memory after silent stroke: hippocampus and infarcts both matter. Neurology. 2012. doi:10.1212/wnl.0b013e31823ed0cc. PMID: 22201111.
BibTeX
@article{blum2012-22201111,
author = {Blum, S. and Luchsinger, J. A. and Manly, J. J. and Schupf, N. and Stern, Y. and Brown, T. R. and DeCarli, C. and Small, S. A. and others},
title = {{Memory after silent stroke: hippocampus and infarcts both matter}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.0b013e31823ed0cc},
pmid = {22201111},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0b013e31823ed0cc}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 13.
Later studies that cite this one
1 study in the alzhub library lists this one in its references.
Related studies in Brain scans and imaging
Also tagged “disorder”
492 studies in the library carry the topic tag “disorder”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 492 tagged studies.