Effect of Carotid Artery Morphological Variations on Cognitive Function

Background. Carotid artery morphological variations (CAMV) are common variations on medical imaging; the effects of CAMV on cognition were still unknown. This study is aimed at investigating whether carotid artery morphological variations (CAMV) cause cognitive impairment. Methods. Hospitalized patients from March 2017 to October 2017 who underwent digital subtract angiography (DSA) were divided into non-CAMV group, T-type group, K-type group, and C-type group according to their carotid artery morphology. Cognitive function in each group was evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Scale (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), and the Digital Span Test (DST). Results. A total of 96 patients were included in the study (32 in non-CAMV group, 34 in T-type group, 30 in K-type group, and none in C-group). The positive rate of MMSE in the non-CAMV group, the T-type group, and the K-type group was 15.6%, 14.7%, and 20.0%, respectively, with no statistical difference in the three groups (p = 0 836). The positive rate of MoCA in the K-type group was significantly higher than that in the non-CAMV and the T-type groups (p < 0 001), but there was no significant difference between the non-CAMV group and the T-type group (p = 0 826). The VFT, DST forward score, and backward score in the K-type group were significantly lower than those in the non-CAMV and the T-type groups (p < 0 001). Conclusions. K-type CAMV may cause cognitive impairment, and MoCA is superior to MMSE in identifying mild cognitive impairment caused by CAMV.