SynthesisBMJ open2022
Is carotid artery atherosclerosis associated with poor cognitive function assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- A bibliometric analysis of research on cognitive function and carotid atherosclerosis: global trends and hotspots.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Cognitive changes in people with diabetes with lower extremity complications compared to people with diabetes without lower extremity complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC endocrine disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Dysfunction of Microcirculation in Atherosclerosis: Implications of Nitric Oxide, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- The Association of Histological Signs of Plaque Instability with Low eGFR, Higher Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio, and Lower Serum MCP-1 Levels in Carotid Endarterectomy Patients-A Single-Center, Prospective Cohort Study.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Predictive value of sarcopenia components for all-cause mortality: findings from population-based cohorts.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2024Article
- Associations of carotid atherosclerosis with cognitive function and brain health: Findings from a UK tri-ethnic cohort study (Southall and Brent Revisited).Atherosclerosis plus · 2024Article
- The prevalence of extracranial carotid atherosclerosis detected via ultrasound imaging: A single-centre study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Saudi medical journal · 2024Article
- B-mode ultrasound characteristics of carotid plaques in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with low-grade stenosis.PloS one · 2023Article
- Identification of potential drug targets for vascular dementia and carotid plaques by analyzing underlying molecular signatures shared by them.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo determine associations between carotid atherosclerosis assessed by ultrasound and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a measure of global cognitive function.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis.
methodsMEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched up to 1 May 2020 to identify studies assessed the associations between asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis and the MMSE. Studies reporting OR for associations between carotid plaque or intima-media thickness (cIMT) and dichotomised MMSE were meta-analysed. Publication bias of included studies was assessed.
resultsA total of 31 of 378 reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria; together they included 27 738 participants (age 35-95 years). Fifteen studies reported some evidence of a positive association between measures of atherosclerosis and poorer cognitive performance in either cross-sectional or longitudinal studies. The remaining 16 studies found no evidence of an association. Seven cross-sectional studies provided data suitable for meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of three studies that assessed carotid plaque (n=3549) showed an association between the presence of plaque and impaired MMSE with pooled estimate for the OR (95% CI) being 2.72 (0.85 to 4.59). An association between cIMT and impaired MMSE was reported in six studies (n=4443) with a pooled estimate for the OR (95% CI) being 1.13 (1.04 to 1.22). Heterogeneity across studies was moderate to small (carotid plaque with MMSE, I
conclusionsThere is some, limited cross-sectional evidence indicating an association between cIMT and poorer global cognitive function assessed with MMSE. Estimates of the association between plaques and poor cognition are too imprecise to draw firm conclusions and evidence from studies of longitudinal associations between carotid atherosclerosis and MMSE is limited. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021240077.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.