Verbal memory impairment in subcortical ischemic vascular disease: A descriptive analysis in CADASIL

Epelbaum, S.; Benisty, S.; Reyes, S.; O'Sullivan, M.; Jouvent, E.; Düring, M.; Hervé, D.; Opherk, C.; Hernandez, K.; Kurtz, A.; Viswanathan, A.; Bousser, M.G.; Dichgans, M.; Chabriat, H.

doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2009.12.018

« Previous Next »Neurobiology of Aging
Volume 32, Issue 12 , Pages 2172-2182, December 2011

Verbal memory impairment in subcortical ischemic vascular disease:

A descriptive analysis in CADASIL

S. Epelbaum
- Department of Neurology, CHU Lariboisière, APHP, France
S. Benisty
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, CHU Lariboisière, APHP, France
S. Reyes
- Department of Neurology, CHU Lariboisière, APHP, France
M. O'Sullivan
- Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Cardiff, UK
E. Jouvent
- Department of Neurology, CHU Lariboisière, APHP, France
M. Düring
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Marchioninistrasse 15, D 81377 Munich, Germany
D. Hervé
- Department of Neurology, CHU Lariboisière, APHP, France
C. Opherk
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Marchioninistrasse 15, D 81377 Munich, Germany
K. Hernandez
- Department of Neurology, CHU Lariboisière, APHP, France
A. Kurtz
- Department of Neurology, CHU Lariboisière, APHP, France
A. Viswanathan
- Department of Neurology and Clinical Trials Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
M.G. Bousser
- Department of Neurology, CHU Lariboisière, APHP, France
- INSERM U740, Faculté de Médecine Lariboisière Saint-Louis, Paris, France
M. Dichgans
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Marchioninistrasse 15, D 81377 Munich, Germany
H. Chabriat
- Department of Neurology, CHU Lariboisière, APHP, France
- INSERM U740, Faculté de Médecine Lariboisière Saint-Louis, Paris, France
- Corresponding author at: Service de Neurologie, Hôpital Lariboisière, 2 rue Ambroise Paré, 75010 Paris, France. Tel.: +33 1 49956344; fax: +33 1 49952596.

Received 2 September 2009; received in revised form 20 November 2009; accepted 21 December 2009. published online 10 February 2010.

Abstract

In the elderly, the high prevalence of Alzheimer's disease neuropathology presents a major challenge to the investigation of memory decline in common diseases such as small vessel disease. CADASIL represents a unique clinical model to determine the spectrum of memory impairment in subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD). One hundred and forty CADASIL patients underwent detailed clinical, neuropsychological and imaging analyses. The Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test was used as a measure of verbal memory. Forty-four out of 140 CADASIL patients (31.4%) presented with memory impairment according to this test. Eight out of 44 (18.2%) subjects with memory impairment matched the definition of the amnestic syndrome of hippocampal type. While alterations in spontaneous recall were related to the severity of subcortical ischemic lesions, the profile of memory impairment, particularly the sensitivity to cueing was found related to other factors such as hippocampal atrophy.

Keywords: CADASIL, Vascular dementia, Episodic memory, Cognitive test, MRI