Year: 2017
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: We investigated the frequency and clinical significance of diagonal earlobe crease (DELC) in cognitively impaired patients using imaging biomarkers, such as white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on MRI and amyloid-β (Aβ) PET. A total of 471 cognitively impaired patients and 243 cognitively normal (CN) individuals were included in this study. Compared with CN individuals, cognitively impaired patients had a greater frequency of DELC (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.2, P = 0.007). This relationship was more prominent in patients with dementia (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7, P = 0.002) and subcortical vascular cognitive impairment (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.6-3.6, P < 0.001). Compared with Aβ-negative cognitively impaired patients with minimal WMH, Aβ-positive patients with moderate to severe WMH were significantly more likely to exhibit DELC (OR 7.3, 95% CI 3.4-16.0, P < 0.001). We suggest that DELC can serve as a useful supportive sign, not only for the presence of cognitive impairment, but also for cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and Aβ-positivity. The relationship between DELC and Aβ-positivity might be explained by the causative role of CSVD in Aβ accumulation.
Source: Scientific Reports
Institutions: Samsung Medical Center, Kyung Hee University, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonbuk National University, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University Medical Hospital at Gangdong, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, University of California, Berkeley
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,690
OpenAlex ID: W2763917412