The Pattern of Neuropsychological Deficits in Vascular Cognitive Impairment-No Dementia (Vascular CIND)

Abstract

We examined the pattern of neuropsychological deficits in Vascular Cognitive Impairment-No Dementia (Vascular CIND) by comparing the cognitive and behavioral performance of 41 post-stroke Vascular CIND patients to that of 62 post-stroke patients with no cognitive impairment (NCI). Neuropsychological test scores were grouped into seven cognitive and four behavioral domains, then converted to standardized, weighted principle component scores (PCS) for each domain. Multivariate logistic regression models built on cognitive domains found the immediate recall and psychomotor domains to best predict diagnostic group membership. In a separate model limited to behavioral data, the depressed mood domain best predicted group membership. The combination of immediate memory deficits, psychomotor slowness and depression have also been found in Vascular Dementia (VaD), suggesting that the pattern of deficits in Vascular CIND and VaD neuropsychological deficits are similar. This cognitive and behavioral pattern similarity supports the hypothesis that Vascular CIND lies on a continuum between NCI and VaD.