Visualization of atrophy of medial temporal lobes and the septal nuclei in patients with transient ischaemic attack and controls.

Introduction: Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is associated with increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia as early as one-year post-event. Regional brain atrophy measurements may predict future cognitive decline. 1) To determine whether Medial Temporal Atrophy (MTA) scores and interseptal distance (ISD) measurements are greater in patients with TIA compared to controls; and 2) To determine whether MTA and ISD predicts cognitive change one year after TIA.

Methods: Baseline demographic, vascular risk factors, structural imaging and cognitive tests scores were compared between 103 Patients with TIA and 103 age-and-sex-matched controls from the Predementia Neuroimaging of Transient Ischaemic Attack (PREVENT) Study. MTA was assessed using the Schelten's Scale, and ISD was calculated as the distance between the septal nucleus of each hemisphere. Multiple linear regression models were used to evaluate how MTA and ISD related to cognitive change after adjusting for covariates.

Results: Patients with TIA had larger ISD measurements (1.4 mm [SD=1.2] vs. 0.9 mm [SD=1.0]);  < 0.001) and higher right/left MTA scores (both  < 0.05) compared to controls. At baseline, controls performed significantly better on the RAVLT (total recall), BVMT (total and delayed recall) and the Trail Making Task (A and B) compared to patients with TIA. However, at one-year follow-up there was no evidence of decline in the patients with TIA compared with controls. Higher MTA and ISD scores were not associated with cognitive decline.

Conclusions: Patients with TIA had higher MTA scores and ISD measurements than controls, but neither were predictors of cognitive decline at one year. Future studies with longer follow-up periods will be required to determine whether higher MTA scores and ISD predict risk of cognitive decline in patients with TIA.