Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25827412›Full record

SynthesisNeuroscience and biobehavioral reviews2015

Association between arterial stiffness, cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Thomas T van Sloten, Athanase D Protogerou, Ronald M A Henry, Miranda T Schram, Lenore J Launer, Coen D A Stehouwer

Open access · bronzeAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 143 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
143citing papers in PubMed, 10 pooled it
16.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

143 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 251 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Association between pulse wave velocity and cerebral microbleeds: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Shift Work and Early Arterial Stiffness: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Pooled it
  9. Left ventricular hypertrophy in association with cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2017
    Pooled it
  10. Pooled it
  11. Trial
  12. Trial
  13. One-year aerobic exercise increases cerebral blood flow in cognitively normal older adults.Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism : official journal of the International Society of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism · 2023
    Trial
  14. Trial
  15. Trial
  16. Trial
  17. Pathophysiology and Clinical Relevance of Microvascular Remodeling in Arterial Hypertension.High blood pressure & cardiovascular prevention : the official journal of the Italian Society of Hypertension · 2026
    Review
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article

83 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Thomas T van SlotenDepartment of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht and School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Prof. Debyelaan 25, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Athanase D ProtogerouDepartment of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Prof. Debyelaan 25, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Ronald M A HenryDepartment of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Prof. Debyelaan 25, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Miranda T SchramDepartment of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Prof. Debyelaan 25, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Lenore J LaunerIntramural Research Program, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Coen D A StehouwerDepartment of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Prof. Debyelaan 25, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: cda.stehouwer@mumc.nl.
Maastricht University Medical Centre · NLNational Institute on Aging · US

Funding

Brain aging and cardiovascular risk factors and diseaseZIAAG007480 · NIA · NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING · PI LAUNER, LENORE J · 2011 to 2025
$2.7M
Intramural NIH HHS ZIA AG007480
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Arterial stiffness may be a cause of cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive impairment. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on the association between stiffness, cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive impairment. For the associations between stiffness (i.e. carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV), carotid stiffness and pulse pressure) on the one hand and cerebral small vessel disease and cognitive impairment on the other, we identified 23 (n=15,666/20 cross-sectional; 1 longitudinal; 2 combined cross-sectional/longitudinal) and 41 studies (n=57,671/26 cross-sectional; 11 longitudinal; 4 combined cross-sectional/longitudinal), respectively. Pooled analyses of cross-sectional studies showed that greater stiffness was associated with markers of cerebral small vessel disease with odds ratios, per +1 SD, of 1.29-1.32 (P<.001). Studies on cognitive impairment could not be pooled due to large heterogeneity. Some (but not all) studies showed an association between greater stiffness and cognitive impairment, and the strength of this association was relatively weak. The present study supports the hypothesis that greater arterial stiffness is a contributor to microvascular brain disease.

Indexed as

Vascular StiffnessBlood PressureCerebral Small Vessel DiseasesCognition DisordersHumansRisk FactorsArterial stiffnessCerebral infarctsCerebral microbleedsCerebral small vessel diseaseCognitive impairmentDementiaMeta-analysisSystematic reviewWhite matter hyperintensities

Identifiers

PMID25827412
PMCPMC5314721
OpenAlexW1978043034

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.