Skip to main content
  • Neurology.org
  • Journals
    • Neurology
    • Clinical Practice
    • Education
    • Genetics
    • Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation
  • Online Sections
    • Neurology Video Journal Club
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
    • Innovations in Care Delivery
    • Practice Buzz
    • Practice Current
    • Residents & Fellows
    • Without Borders
  • Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Disputes & Debates
    • Health Disparities
    • Infographics
    • Neurology Future Forecasting Series
    • Null Hypothesis
    • Patient Pages
    • Topics A-Z
    • Translations
  • Podcast
  • CME
  • About
    • About the Journals
    • Contact Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Authors
    • Submit New Manuscript
    • Submit Revised Manuscript
    • Author Center

Advanced Search

Main menu

  • Neurology.org
  • Journals
    • Neurology
    • Clinical Practice
    • Education
    • Genetics
    • Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation
  • Online Sections
    • Neurology Video Journal Club
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
    • Innovations in Care Delivery
    • Practice Buzz
    • Practice Current
    • Residents & Fellows
    • Without Borders
  • Collections
    • COVID-19
    • Disputes & Debates
    • Health Disparities
    • Infographics
    • Neurology Future Forecasting Series
    • Null Hypothesis
    • Patient Pages
    • Topics A-Z
    • Translations
  • Podcast
  • CME
  • About
    • About the Journals
    • Contact Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Authors
    • Submit New Manuscript
    • Submit Revised Manuscript
    • Author Center
  • Home
  • Latest Articles
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Neurology Video Journal Club
  • Residents & Fellows

User menu

  • Subscribe
  • My Alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Neurology
Home
The most widely read and highly cited peer-reviewed neurology journal
  • Subscribe
  • My Alerts
  • Log in
Site Logo
  • Home
  • Latest Articles
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Neurology Video Journal Club
  • Residents & Fellows

Share

December 13, 2022; 99 (24) Research Article

Association of Carotid Plaque and Flow Velocity With White Matter Integrity in a Middle-aged to Elderly Population

David Leander Rimmele, Elina Larissa Petersen, View ORCID ProfileEckhard Schlemm, Simon S. Kessner, Marvin Petersen, Carola Mayer, Bastian Cheng, Tanja Zeller, Christoph Waldeyer, Christian-Alexander Behrendt, Christian Gerloff, Götz Thomalla
First published September 19, 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000201297
David Leander Rimmele
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Elina Larissa Petersen
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Eckhard Schlemm
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Eckhard Schlemm
Simon S. Kessner
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Marvin Petersen
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Carola Mayer
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Bastian Cheng
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Tanja Zeller
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Christoph Waldeyer
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Christian-Alexander Behrendt
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Christian Gerloff
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Götz Thomalla
From the Department of Neurology (D.L.R., E.S., S.S.K., M.P., C.M., B.C., C.G., G.T.) and Epidemiological Study Center (E.L.P.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; Departments of Cardiology (T.Z., C.W.) and Vascular Medicine (C.-A.B.), University Heart and Vascular Center UKE Hamburg; and German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (T.Z., C.W.), Germany.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Full PDF
Short Form
Citation
Association of Carotid Plaque and Flow Velocity With White Matter Integrity in a Middle-aged to Elderly Population
David Leander Rimmele, Elina Larissa Petersen, Eckhard Schlemm, Simon S. Kessner, Marvin Petersen, Carola Mayer, Bastian Cheng, Tanja Zeller, Christoph Waldeyer, Christian-Alexander Behrendt, Christian Gerloff, Götz Thomalla
Neurology Dec 2022, 99 (24) e2699-e2707; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201297

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Permissions

Make Comment

See Comments

Downloads
124

Share

  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Disclosures
  • CME Course
Loading

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Abstract

Background and Objectives It is uncertain whether there is an association of carotid plaques (CPs) and flow velocities with peak width mean diffusivity (PSMD) and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) independent of shared risk factors. We aimed to study this association controlling for biomarkers of inflammation and cardiac dysfunction and typical cardiovascular risk factors and spatial distribution.

Methods We included participants from the population-based Hamburg City Health Study, recruiting citizens between 45 and 74 years of age. Medical history was obtained from structured interviews and extended laboratory tests, physical examinations, MRI of the head, echocardiography, and abdominal and carotid ultrasound were performed. We performed multivariable regression analysis with PSMD and periventricular, deep, and total volume of WMH (pWMH, dWMH, tWMH) as dependent variables. PSMD was calculated as the difference between the 95th and 5th percentiles of MD values on the white skeleton in standard space. Volumes of WMH were determined by the application of a manually trained k-nearest neighbor segmentation algorithm. WMH measured within a distance of 1 cm from the surface of the lateral ventricles were defined as pWMH and above 1 cm as dWMH.

Results Two thousand six hundred twenty-three participants were included. The median age was 65 years, and 56% were women. Their median tWMH was 946 mm3(IQR:419, 2,164), PSMD 2.24 mm2/s × 10−4 (IQR: 2.04, 2.47), peak systolic velocity (PSV) of internal carotid arteries 0.70m/second (IQR:0.60, 0.81), and 35% had CPs. Adjusted for age, sex, high-sensitive CRP, NT-proBNP, and commonly measured cardiovascular risk and systemic hemodynamic factors, both CPs (B = 0.15; CI: 0.04, 0.26; p = 0.006) and low PSV (B = −0.49; CI: −0.87, −0.11; p = 0.012) were significantly associated with a higher tWMH and PSMD. Low PSV (B = −0.48; CI: −0.87, −0.1; p = 0.013) was associated with pWMH and the presence of CP with pWMH (B = 0.15; CI: 0.04, 0.26; p = 0.008) and dWMH (B = 0.42; CI: 0.11, 0.74; p < 0.009).

Discussion Low PSV and CP are associated with WMH and PSMD independent of cardiovascular risk factors and biomarkers of inflammation and cardiac dysfunction. This points toward pathophysiologic pathways underlying both large and small vessel disease beyond the common cardiovascular risk profile.

Trial Registration Information The trial was submitted at clinicaltrials.gov, under NCT03934957 on January 4, 2019. The first participant was enrolled in February 2016.

Glossary

CPs=
carotid plaques;
PSMD=
peak-width mean diffusivity;
PSV=
peak systolic velocity;
WMH=
white matter hyperintensities

Footnotes

  • Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.

  • Submitted and externally peer reviewed. The handling editor was José Merino, MD, MPhil, FAAN.

  • CME Course: NPub.org/cmelist

  • Received May 31, 2022.
  • Accepted in final form August 10, 2022.
  • © 2022 American Academy of Neurology
View Full Text

AAN Members

We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.

Google Safari Microsoft Edge Firefox

Click here to login

AAN Non-Member Subscribers

Click here to login

Purchase access

For assistance, please contact:
AAN Members (800) 879-1960 or (612) 928-6000 (International)
Non-AAN Member subscribers (800) 638-3030 or (301) 223-2300 option 3, select 1 (international)

Sign Up
Information on how to subscribe to Neurology and Neurology: Clinical Practice can be found here 

Purchase
Individual access to articles is available through the Add to Cart option on the article page.  Access for 1 day (from the computer you are currently using) is US$ 39.00.  Pay-per-view content is for the use of the payee only, and content may not be further distributed by print or electronic means.  The payee may view, download, and/or print the article for his/her personal, scholarly, research, and educational use.  Distributing copies (electronic or otherwise) of the article is not allowed.

Letters: Rapid online correspondence

No comments have been published for this article.
Comment

REQUIREMENTS

If you are uploading a letter concerning an article:
You must have updated your disclosures within six months: http://submit.neurology.org

Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.

If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.

Submission specifications:

  • Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
  • Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
  • Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
  • Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
  • Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.

More guidelines and information on Disputes & Debates

Compose Comment

More information about text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Author Information
NOTE: The first author must also be the corresponding author of the comment.
First or given name, e.g. 'Peter'.
Your last, or family, name, e.g. 'MacMoody'.
Your email address, e.g. higgs-boson@gmail.com
Your role and/or occupation, e.g. 'Orthopedic Surgeon'.
Your organization or institution (if applicable), e.g. 'Royal Free Hospital'.
Publishing Agreement
NOTE: All authors, besides the first/corresponding author, must complete a separate Publishing Agreement Form and provide via email to the editorial office before comments can be posted.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Vertical Tabs

You May Also be Interested in

Back to top
  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Glossary
    • Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Study Funding
    • Disclosure
    • Appendix Authors
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Disclosures
  • CME Course

More Online

CME Course

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Safety in Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, and Multifocal Motor Neuropathy

Dr. Jeffrey Allen and Dr. Nicholas Purcell

► Watch

Topics Discussed

  • All Cerebrovascular disease/Stroke
  • MRI
  • Ultrasound

Alert Me

  • Alert me when eletters are published
Neurology: 100 (13)

Articles

  • Ahead of Print
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Popular Articles
  • Translations

About

  • About the Journals
  • Ethics Policies
  • Editors & Editorial Board
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise

Submit

  • Author Center
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Information for Reviewers
  • AAN Guidelines
  • Permissions

Subscribers

  • Subscribe
  • Activate a Subscription
  • Sign up for eAlerts
  • RSS Feed
Site Logo
  • Visit neurology Template on Facebook
  • Follow neurology Template on Twitter
  • Visit Neurology on YouTube
  • Neurology
  • Neurology: Clinical Practice
  • Neurology: Education
  • Neurology: Genetics
  • Neurology: Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation
  • AAN.com
  • AANnews
  • Continuum
  • Brain & Life
  • Neurology Today

Wolters Kluwer Logo

Neurology | Print ISSN:0028-3878
Online ISSN:1526-632X

© 2023 American Academy of Neurology

  • Privacy Policy
  • Feedback
  • Advertise