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Middle-age cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive function in later life: a population-based prospective cohort study
Ali Tanweer Siddiquee, Yoon Ho Hwang, Soriul Kim, Sung Jin Shin, Ji Soo Lee, June Christoph Kang, Min‐Hee Lee, Hyeon Jin Kim et al.. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 2025-01-18
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Of the total, 908 (37.0%) participants had cSVD on MRI reading at baseline. By location, cSVD were mostly found in the frontal lobe followed by basal ganglia area of the brain. None of the cognitive test scores, except Trail Making Test-A, were significantly different between the cSVD groups at baseline. At 8-year follow-up, participants without cSVD performed significantly better than participants with cSVD in Stroop-color reading [Mean difference 1.19 (95% CI: 0.02-2.36), p = 0.0451] and visual reproduction-recognition [Mean difference 0.11 (95% CI: 0.01-0.21), p = 0.0221]. While no other cognitive tests showed any differential changes by cSVD groups, logical memory (Story Recall Tests) increased and Stroop-word reading decreased over time in both cSVD groups almost identically. Silent cSVD was independently associated with decline in executive functioning over 8-year follow-up period in this Korean middle-aged through elderly general population. Future studies considering wider spectrum of cSVD and longer follow-up durations may help predict further cognitive outcomes. Funding: This study was funded by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Key findings
- Of the total, 908 (37.0%) participants had cSVD on MRI reading at baseline.
- By location, cSVD were mostly found in the frontal lobe followed by basal ganglia area of the brain.
- None of the cognitive test scores, except Trail Making Test-A, were significantly different between the cSVD groups at baseline.
- At 8-year follow-up, participants without cSVD performed significantly better than participants with cSVD in Stroop-color reading [Mean difference 1.19 (95% CI: 0.02-2.36), p = 0.0451] and visual reproduction-recognition [Mean difference 0.11 (95% CI: 0.01-0.21), p = 0.0221].
- While no other cognitive tests showed any differential changes by cSVD groups, logical memory (Story Recall Tests) increased and Stroop-word reading decreased over time in both cSVD groups almost identically.
Why it matters
In a Korean population followed for 8 years, people with silent small vessel disease at middle age did worse on some tests of executive function, while most other cognitive tests showed no difference between groups. This links small vessel disease to later thinking problems, but it is observational and does not test prevention or treatment.
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants2,454
- Effect size37.0%
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 57/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific: journal h-index 66 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over 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 | 3 / 4 | 2,454 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| 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 | 2 / 7 | Cited 11 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.0× 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 11 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Chol Shin: h-index 58 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Korea University: institution h-index 685 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 39896231) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 57 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2024.101284
- PubMed: 39896231
- Original source →
- Free full text: The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific →
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
Siddiquee, A. T., Hwang, Y. H., Kim, S., Shin, S. J., Lee, J. S., Kang, J. C., et al. (2025). Middle-age cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive function in later life: a population-based prospective cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2024.101284
Vancouver
Siddiquee AT, Hwang YH, Kim S, Shin SJ, Lee JS, Kang JC, et al. Middle-age cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive function in later life: a population-based prospective cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.lanwpc.2024.101284. PMID: 39896231.
BibTeX
@article{siddiquee2025-39896231,
author = {Siddiquee, Ali Tanweer and Hwang, Yoon Ho and Kim, Soriul and Shin, Sung Jin and Lee, Ji Soo and Kang, June Christoph and Lee, Min‐Hee and Kim, Hyeon Jin and others},
title = {{Middle-age cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive function in later life: a population-based prospective cohort study}},
journal = {The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.lanwpc.2024.101284},
pmid = {39896231},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2024.101284}
}
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