Table 6 Brain Imaging Studies of Patients With Metabolic Syndrome, Without Symptomatic Cardiovascular, Cerebrovascular, and Peripheral Vascular
Disease
First
No. of
Subject Age, yrs,
Author
Treatment of
Study Design
Subjects
Mean (SD)
Hoth et al.
21 without
Without MetS,
(90)
MetS
Imaging Modality
Imaging Findings
Metabolic Syndrome
(Ref. #)
Cross-sectional
42% treated with
1. Structural MRI
1. Subjects with MetS demonstrated lower
50.4 (5.3)
antihypertensive
2. fMRI: N-back
task-related activation intensity in the right
19 with
With MetS, 47.4
medications
activation task
superior frontal gyrus, right superior
MetS
(6)
10.5% treated with
parietal lobule, and left inferior parietal
antiplatelet agents
lobule compared with subjects without
10.5% treated with lipid-
metabolic syndrome.
lowering medication
Results remained significant after
15.8% treated with
controlling for the use of all medications
hypoglycemic agents
used to treat components of the MetS.
15.8% treated with
2. Lower functional activation in the right
antidepressant
superior parietal and left inferior parietal
medication
lobules was significantly associated with
slower reaction times.
3. Higher functional activation in the left
inferior parietal lobule was significantly
associated with better task accuracy.
1
1,057
Kwon et
“healthy”
“Healthy” subjects Cross-sectional
No treatment data
subjects
without SBIs, 69.4
available.
Structural MRI
al. (85)
without SBIs (4.2)
1. Most SBIs (70.5%) were located in the
197
“Healthy” subject
white matter (corona radiata, internal
“healthy”
with SBIs, 71.4
capsule, centrum semiovale, and
subjects with (5.3)
subcortical white matter), and 41.1% were
SBIs
located in the basal ganglia and thalamus.
2. The prevalence of MetS was
significantly higher in the group with SBIs
(57.9%) compared with subjects without
SBIs (45.2%).
3. Subjects with a greater number of MetS
components showed more prevalent SBIs
and multiple SBIs compared with subjects
with fewer components of MetS.
2
1. Subjects with MetS demonstrated lower
FA bilaterally in the anterior corpus
callosum compared with subjects without
19 without
Without MetS,
MetS.
Segura et
No treatment data
MetS
59.63 (5.37)
Cross-sectional
al. (89)
DTI MRI
2. Subjects with MetS demonstrated higher
available.
19 with
With MetS, 61.26
apparent diffusion coefficient values
MetS
(7.19)
bilaterally in the anterior corpus callosum
and inferior longitudinal fasciculus
compared with subjects without MetS.
1. No differences in the frequency of
WMHs between subjects with and without
MetS.
19 without
Without MetS,
Segura et
MetS
59.63 (5.37)
al. (86)
19 with
With Met, 61.26
MetS
(7.19)
2. In the group of subjects with MetS, FA
No treatment data
1. Structural MRI
available.
2. DTI MRI
Cross-sectional
in the anterior and posterior regions of the
corpus callosum correlated positively with
processing speed.
3. In the group of subjects with MetS, FA
in the anterior part of the corpus callosum
3
correlated negatively with reaction time.
4. No correlation observed between FA and
neuropsychological performance in the
subject group without MetS.
1. Cerebral WMHs were more frequently
Choi et al.
3,411
Without WMHs,
without
50 (10)
observed in subjects with MetS compared
Cross-sectional
No treatment data
with subjects without MetS.
Structural MRI
(88)
WMHs
With WMHs, 58
1,693 with
(9)
retrospective
available.
2. Female subjects with more components
of MetS tended to have more frequent
WMHs
cerebral WMHs, but not male subjects.
1. The prevalence of MetS was
1,500
Without SBIs,
significantly higher in the group of subjects
53.2 (10.5)
with SBIs (27.3%) compared with subjects
Kwon et
No treatment data
without SBIs
Cross-sectional
al. (85)
Structural MRI
without SBIs (13.2%).
available.
88 with SBIs With SBIs, 60.7
2. An increasing number of individual
(10)
components of MetS was associated with
more prevalent SBIs and multiple SBIs.
1. No differences in SBIs, WMH volume,
587
Without MetS,
or brain parenchymal fraction between
without
Cavalieri
64.8 (8.1)
MetS
et al. (87)
No treatment data
Cross-sectional
With MetS, 65.1
subjects with and without MetS.
Structural MRI
available.
2. Focal and diffuse brain lesions did not
232 with
(7.2)
explain the association between MetS and
MetS
impaired cognitive performance.
4
Abbreviations as in Tables 2, 3, and 5.
5