Impact of cerebral large-artery disease and blood flow in the posterior cerebral artery territory on cognitive function.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the association of cerebral large artery disease (CLAD) with cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory and cognitive performance.

METHOD: We prospectively registered patients with CLAD who had internal carotid or middle cerebral artery (MCA) with the degree of stenosis ≥50%. Automated brain segmentation was used to quantify CBF in the thalamus, hippocampus, and PCA and MCA territories. We measured cognitive function of patients using the Wechsler Memory Scale Revised (WMS-R), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to CBF of the cortical and subcortical PCA territory.

RESULTS

There were 60 patients included in this study. The degree of stenosis was significantly correlated with CBF in the PCA territory (Γ = 0.35, P = .006) and hippocampus (Γ = 0.34, P = .008). Verbal memory, general memory, and reproduction on WMS-R and MMSE were significantly reduced areas with low CBF in the PCA territory compared with areas with middle and high CBF.

CONCLUSIONS

CBF of the PCA territory was significantly inversely correlated with the degree of stenosis in CLAD patients. Low CBF of the PCA territory was significantly associated with reduced cognitive and memory functions.