02959nas a2200373 4500008004100000022001400041245013300055210006900188260001300257300001100270490000700281520185200288653000902140653001002149653002402159653003002183653002102213653001902234653002602253653001102279653001102290653002502301653003102326653000902357653001702366100002002383700001302403700001702416700002002433700001902453700001702472710006102489856003502550 2001 eng d a0003-994200aCluster analysis and patterns of findings on cranial magnetic resonance imaging of the elderly: the Cardiovascular Health Study.0 aCluster analysis and patterns of findings on cranial magnetic re c2001 Apr a635-400 v583 a

OBJECTIVE: To characterize patterns of findings on cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the elderly using a statistical technique called cluster analysis.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The Cardiovascular Health Study is a population-based, longitudinal study of 5888 people 65 years and older. Of these, 3230 underwent cranial MRI scans, which were coded for presence of infarcts and grades for white matter, ventricles, and sulci. Cluster analysis separated participants into 5 clusters based solely on patterns of MRI findings. Participants comprising each cluster were contrasted with respect to cardiovascular risk factors and clinical manifestations.

RESULTS: One cluster was low on all the MRI findings (normal) and another was high on all of them (complex infarcts). Another cluster had evidence for infarcts alone (simple infarcts), whereas the last 2 clusters lacked infarcts, one having enlarged ventricles and sulci (atrophy) and the other having prominent white matter changes and enlarged ventricles (leukoaraiosis). Factors that distinguished these clusters in a discriminant analysis were age, sex, several measures of hypertension, internal carotid artery wall thickness, smoking, and prevalent claudication before the MRI. The atrophy group had the highest percentage of men and the normal group had the lowest. Cognitive and motor performance also differed across clusters, with the atrophy cluster performing better than may have been expected.

CONCLUSIONS: These MRI patterns identified participants with different vascular disease risk factors and clinical manifestations. Results of these exploratory analyses warrant consideration in other populations of elderly people. Such patterns may provide clues about the pathophysiology of structural brain changes in the elderly.

10aAged10aBrain10aCerebral Infarction10aCerebrovascular Disorders10aCluster Analysis10aCohort Studies10aDiscriminant Analysis10aFemale10aHumans10aLongitudinal Studies10aMagnetic Resonance Imaging10aMale10aRisk Factors1 aLongstreth, W T1 aDiehr, P1 aManolio, T A1 aBeauchamp, N, J1 aJungreis, C, A1 aLefkowitz, D1 aCardiovascular Health Study Collaborative Research Group uhttps://chs-nhlbi.org/node/644