Executive function and magnetic resonance imaging subcortical hyperintensities in vascular dementia

Objective: To determine the relation between subcortical hyperintensities ( SHs) visible on magnetic resonance imaging and executive function among pat ients with vascular dementia. Background: The relation between SHs and exec utive dysfunction is not well understood, because studies have varied widel y in methodology and have produced conflicting results. Method: We examined the relation between SHs (expressed as a percentage of total brain volume, not including ventricular volume) and six tests of executive function in a well-defined group of 24 individuals with vascular dementia. Executive tes ts were divided in two groups: Attention/Speed and Abstraction/Problem Solv ing. Bivariate correlations were computed between individual neuropsycholog ical variables and SHs. Results: Results showed significant bivariate corre lations between SHs and three of the four tests in the Attention/Speed doma in. Subcortical hyperintensities shared virtually no association with perfo rmance on tests in the Abstraction/Problem-Solving domain. Conclusions: The finding that SHs are significantly associated with psychomotor slowing and attentional dysfunction is consistent with what is known about the behavio ral manifestations of subcortical disease. More detailed investigations of the regional distribution of SHs as well as measures of atrophy, hypoperfus ion, and hypometabolism may be necessary to accurately characterize the com plex relation between vascular disease and different aspects of executive d ysfunction.