Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37729770›Full record

ArticleNeurobiology of aging2023

White matter hyperintensity load mediates the relationship between age and cognition.

Natalie Busby, Sarah Wilson, Janina Wilmskoetter, Roger Newman-Norlund, Sara Sayers, Sarah Newman-Norlund, Rebecca Roth, Chris Rorden, Julius Fridriksson, Leonardo Bonilha

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurobiology of aging, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 12% 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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Natalie BusbyDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA. Electronic address: hethern@mailbox.sc.edu.
Sarah WilsonDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Janina WilmskoetterDepartment of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
Roger Newman-NorlundDepartment of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Sara SayersDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Sarah Newman-NorlundDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Rebecca RothDepartment of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Chris RordenDepartment of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Julius FridrikssonDepartment of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.
Leonardo BonilhaDepartment of Neurology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
University of South Carolina · USEmory University · USMedical University of South Carolina · US

Funding

Telerehab for Aphasia (TERRA)P50DC014664 · NIDCD · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · PI FRIDRIKSSON, JULIUS · 2016 to 2025
$25.0M
NIDCD NIH HHS P50 DC014664
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

To elucidate the relationship between age and cognitive decline, it is important to consider structural brain changes such as white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), which are common in older age and may affect behavior. Therefore, we aimed to investigate if WMH load is a mediator of the relationship between age and cognitive decline. Healthy participants (N = 166, 20-80 years) completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). WMHs were manually delineated on FLAIR scans. Mediation analysis was conducted to determine if WMH load mediates the relationship between age and cognition. Older age was associated with worse cognition (p < 0.001), but this was an indirect effect: older participants had more WMHs, and, in turn, increased WMH load was associated with worse MoCA scores. WMH load mediates the relationship between age and cognitive decline. Importantly, this relationship was not moderated by age (i.e., increased WMH severity is associated with poorer MoCA scores irrespective of age). Across all ages, high cholesterol was associated with increased WMH severity.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionWhite MatterBrainCognitionHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingAgingCognitionSmall vessel diseaseWhite matter hyperintensities

Identifiers

PMID37729770
PMCPMC12573672
OpenAlexW4386171903

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.