Menu
News in brief

Fatty plaques in the arteries associated with dementia in older subjects

24 Mar 2015 | By INSERM (Newsroom) | Circulation, metabolism, nutrition

The carotid arteries are essential for supplying blood to the brain. In a study published online in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, researchers from Inserm, in collaboration with those involved in the Three Cities Study (3C), have focused on the relationships between atherosclerosis and the risk of dementia in older subjects.

Atherosclerosis is characterised by the deposition of plaque essentially composed of lipids (known as atheroma) on the walls of arteries. These plaques can be highly unstable and cause a stroke when they become detached. Previous studies have shown a link between cardiovascular risk factors and the occurrence of dementia. Atherosclerosis, which reflects lifelong exposure to these factors, can be measured noninvasively by ultrasound of the carotid arteries, making it possible to detect the presence of atheroma plaques.

In this study, researchers from the “Cardiovascular Epidemiology and Sudden Death”[1] and “Hormones and Cardiovascular Disease”[2] teams analysed data from the Three Cities (3C) French multicentre cohort. The association between carotid atherosclerosis and the occurrence of dementia after 7 years of monitoring was measured in 6,025 men and women aged from 65 to 86 years, who were initially free from dementia and non-institutionalised.

“Subjects showing carotid plaques at enrolment had a nearly 2-fold higher risk of dementia than those free of carotid atheroma,” explains Matthieu Plichart, who co-authored this work.

For the first time, the study examines the utility of measuring carotid atherosclerosis. The researchers suggest that taking carotid plaques into account might be useful in predicting the individual risk of developing these “mixed/vascular” dementias, i.e. those resulting from a combination of vascular lesions in the brain and neurodegenerative lesions. They are the second most important cause of dementia, the leading cause being Alzheimer’s disease, which is a purely neurodegenerative process.

[1] Unit 970 PARCC (Paris Cardiovascular Research Center [Inserm/Paris Descartes University])
[2] Inserm Unit 1018 “Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health” (Inserm/Paris-Sud University)

These contents could be interesting :

Medias
Researcher Contact

Matthieu Plichart
Unité Inserm 970 – Centre de recherche cardiovasculaire de Paris (Inserm/Université Paris Descartes)
+ 33 (0)1 44 08 35 03
rf.mresni@trahcilp.ueihttam

Press Contact

rf.mresni@esserp

Sources

Carotid plaque as a predictor of dementia in older adults: The Three-City Study
Laure Carcaillona,1, Matthieu Plichartb,c,*,1, Mahmoud Zureikd, Olivier Rouaude, Bilal Majedb,f, Karen Ritchieg,h,i, Christophe Tzourioj,k, Jean-Franc¸ois Dartiguesk,l, Jean-Philippe Empanab

a) Inserm, CESP Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health, UMR-S1018, Hormones and Cardiovascular Disease, University Paris Sud, Villejuif, France
b) Inserm, UMR-S 970, Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris Cardiovascular Research Center, Paris, France
c) Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Broca, Paris, France
d) Inserm U700, Paris, France
e) CMMR CHU Dijon, Dijon, France
f) Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, Arras General Hospital, Arras, France
g) Inserm U1061, Neuropsychiatry: Epidemiological and Clinical Research, H^opital La Colombiere, Montpellier, France
h) Imperial College, Faculty of Medicine, London, United Kingdom
i) University of Montpellier 1, Faculty of Medicine, Montpellier, France
j) Inserm U708, Neuroepidemiology, Bordeaux, France
k) University of Victor Segalen Bordeaux2, Bordeaux, France
l) Inserm U897, Epidemiology and Neuropsychology of Brain Aging, Bordeaux, Franced) Inserm U700, Paris, France

 

Alzheimer’s and Dementia, sous presse

fermer