Metabolic Syndrome, Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and Cognition

OBJECTIVE - We explored cognitive impairment in metabolic syndrome in relation to brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - We studied 819 participants free of clinical stroke and dementia of the population-based Austrain Stroke Prevention Study who had under gone brain MRI neuropsychological testing and a risk factor assessment relevant to National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria defined metabolic syndrome High-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) was also determined RESULTS - Of 819 subjects 232 (28 3%) had metabolic syndrome They performed worse than those without metabolic syndrome on cognitive tests assessing memory and executive functioning after adjustment for possible confounders Stratification by sex demonstrated that metabolic syndrome was related to cognitive dysfunction in men but not in women Only in men was an increasing number of metabolic syndrome components associated with worse cognitive performance MRI showed no significant difference in focal ischemic lesions and brain volume between subjects with and without metabolic syndrome and MRI abnormalities failed to explain impaired cognition Cognitive performance was most affected in male subjects with metabolic syndrome who also had high hs-CRP levels CONCLUSIONS - Metabolic syndrome exerts detrimental effects on memory and executive functioning in community-dwelling subjects who have not had a clinical stroke or do not have dementia Men are more affected than women particularly if they have high inflammatory markers MRI detected brain abnormalities do not play a crucial role in these relationships