Sudden narrowing of the carotid artery present in the neck may lead to cognitive decline, according to a new study.
This is the first time researchers have looked into how the narrowing of the carotid artery without prior symptoms may lead to cognitive decline such as slow thinking, memory issues and problems with learning and decision making.
"To date, the focus of diagnosis and management of carotid artery blockages has been prevention of stroke since that was the only harm that these blockages were thought to cause to patients," said Brajesh K. Lal, MD, with the VA Maryland Health Care System's Baltimore in a press statement. "These results underscore the importance of assessing the status of memory and thinking in people with carotid artery narrowing."
The study was conducted on 67 people with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS), a condition where there is a 50-percent reduction in the diameter of the artery. The study also included 60 people with vascular risk factors but without the condition. These risk factors included diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and coronary artery disease. All participants were asked to go through extensive tests that measured their cognitive abilities. Researchers also measured their processing speed, learning, memory, decision-making and language skills.
Researchers found that the 67 participants with ACS performed poorly in tests that measured memory and thinking abilities. Researchers then looked into the aspects of thinking that these participants struggled with and found that they performed worse on tests for motor and processing speed, and learning and memory. Language scores did not differ between the two groups.
"If these findings are confirmed in larger studies, they hold significant implications for new treatment targets and open the door for more questions such as: should these patients be treated more aggressively with medications, cognitive rehabilitation, or even surgery to open up the artery," said Lal. "I anticipate a large number of follow-up studies searching for causes and the best treatment option for this newly identified morbidity associated with carotid narrowing."
Narrowing of arteries takes place due to plague buildup. Artery blockage can harm the brain by restricting proper blood flow or by showering little pieces of plaque into the brain. The risk factors of ACS include age, smoking habits, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, sedentary lifestyle and family history of the condition.
Men younger than 75 years are at a higher risk of being affected by this condition than women of the same age group. Alternatively, women above the age of 75 years are at a higher risk of ACS than men of the same age. People who have coronary artery disease have an increased risk of developing carotid artery diseases.
The study was supported by the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
