The build-up of cholesterol plaques in arteries, a common occurrence with aging, contributes to the reduced thinking ability seen in many elderly individuals, but not to depression, according to findings published in the medical journal Neurology.

Dr. D. J. Vinkers, of Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands, and colleagues followed 599 subjects, 85 years of age or older. The presence of cardiovascular diseases, such as Heart attack or Stroke, were used to estimate the degree of plaque build-up in the blood vessels.

As plaque build-up increased, overall thinking ability, attention levels, and mental reaction speed fell, the report indicates. Moreover, high levels of plaque build-up on initial evaluation predicted a more rapid decline in memory ability during follow-up.

As noted, the degree of plaque build-up was not associated with symptoms of depression.

Several possible mechanisms that may explain the relationship between plaque build-up and impaired thought processes have been suggested, including decreased blood flow to brain regions involved in thinking ability, Vinkers and colleagues note.

SOURCE: Neurology, July 2005.