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Basal ganglia PVS linked to longitudinal cognitive decline

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Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels · Pexels License

Research area:NeuroscienceCellular and Molecular NeuroscienceVascular Malformations Diagnosis and Treatment

What the study found

Higher MRI-visible perivascular space (PVS) burden in the basal ganglia, a deep brain region, was associated with worse cognitive performance over time. The strongest independent associations remained for executive function and visuospatial skills.

Why the authors say this matters

The authors conclude that basal ganglia PVS may be an emerging marker of domain-specific cognitive decline in aging. They also suggest the findings support PVS as a vascular contributor to deep brain structure damage underlying cognitive decline over time.

What the researchers tested

The researchers followed 750 adults without stroke or dementia in the Vanderbilt Memory and Aging Project. Participants had 3T MRI at study entry to measure several cerebral small vessel disease markers, including PVS volume fraction, white matter hyperintensities, lacunes, and microbleeds, and then completed serial neuropsychological testing over follow-up averaging 4.9 years.

What worked and what didn't

Higher basal ganglia PVS burden at baseline was associated with worse longitudinal performance on naming, processing speed, executive function, visuospatial organization, and episodic memory measures. In head-to-head comparisons, basal ganglia PVS remained independently associated with executive function and the Hooper Visual Organization Test, but not all earlier associations remained independent.

What to keep in mind

This was an observational study, so the authors note that causation cannot be established. The analysis was based on participants without stroke or dementia from a single cohort in Nashville, Tennessee, and the abstract does not describe other limitations.

Key points

The study followed adults without stroke or dementia for longitudinal cognitive testing after baseline MRI.
Higher basal ganglia PVS burden was linked to worse performance over time in several cognitive domains.
Independent associations remained for executive function and visuospatial organization in head-to-head comparisons.
Other MRI markers of small vessel disease were also measured, including white matter hyperintensities, lacunes, and microbleeds.
The authors state that causation cannot be established from this observational cohort.

Disclosure

Research title:: Basal ganglia PVS linked to longitudinal cognitive decline
Authors:: Kyoko Kohno, Yunyi Sun, James D. LeFevre, W Hudson Robb, T. Bryan Jackson, Dandan Liu, Yukti Vyas, Benjamin Sweely, Kimberly R. Pechman, Niranjana Shashikumar, Amalia Peterson, Bennett Landman, L Taylor Davis, Timothy J. Hohman, Angela L. Jefferson
Institutions:: Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Publication date:: 2026-04-24
DOI:: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000214803
OpenAlex record:: View
Image credit:: Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels · Pexels License

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