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J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 75:1304-1308 doi:10.1136/jnnp.2003.023713
  • Paper

Neuroanatomical localisation and clinical correlates of white matter lesions in the elderly

Table 1

 Description of the three groups of elderly subjects detected by cluster analysis

Variable Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 p Value†
Age (years) 68.05 (5.67) 71.72 (7.05) 77.17 (6.98) 0.000
MMSE score 27.85 (2.11) 27.47 (2.04) 26.96 (2.63)* 0.000
CESD score 4.84 (4.80) 5.93 (6.34) 6.77 (6.54) 0.007
Four dimensions of CESD
Dimension 1 (depressed affect) 0.7 (1.44) 1.12 (2.19) 1.39 (2.59) 0.005
Dimension 2 (positive affect) 1.73 (2.31) 2.25 (2.63) 2.62 (2.89) 0.003
Dimension 3 (somatic and retarded activity) 2.10 (2.23) 2.28 (2.56) 2.52 (2.58) 0.243
Dimension 4 (interpersonal) 0.21 (0.55) 0.28 (0.66) 0.20 (0.55) 0.171
Cortical atrophy 4.52 (2.50) 5.30 (2.65) 7.14 (3.07) 0.000
Subcortical atrophy 0.30 (0.02) 0.31 (0.36) 0.32 (0.03) 0.000
White matter lesions
Frontal 0.09 (0.02) 0.25 (0.45) 3.06 (3.01) 0.000
Parietal 0.04 (0.05) 0.18 (0.20) 1.97 (1.64) 0.000
Temporal 0 (0.0) 0.007 (0.07) 0.04 (0.19) 0.000
Occipital 0 (0.0) 0.05 (0.03) 0.17 (0.51) 0.000
Periventricular 0.34 (0.73) 1.98 (1.51) 5.39 (1.80) 0.000
Per cent distribution p Value‡
Values are mean (SD), top, or % (n), bottom.
*Group 3 significantly different from groups 1 and 2.
†Variance analysis or Kruskal–Wallis test as appropriate.
‡χ2 test.
CESD, Center of Epidemiologic Studies depression scale; CVA, cerebrovascular accident; MMSE, mini-mental state examination.
Female sex 48.4 (93) 50.8 (334) 57.2 (127) 0.154
Education <8 years 12.6 (24) 11.9 (78) 9.5 (21) 0.558
Late onset depressive persons 3.9 (6) 8.5 (46) 11.1 (22) 0.05
Positive CESD (score >16) 2.6 (5) 7.7 (50) 11.0 (24) 0.05
CVA 0.5 (1) 4.2 (27) 12.6 (27) 0.000
Cerebrovascular risk factors
Hypertension or use of antihypertensive drugs 40.6 (78) 49.2 (324) 67.1 (149) 0.000
Diabetes mellitus 3.1 (6) 7.6 (50) 8.6 (19) 0.06
Current smoker 16.7 (32) 18.2 (120) 13.6 (30) 0.288

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