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Do cardiovascular risk factors predict risk for cognitive decline? Investigators from the Rush Memory and Aging Project derived Framingham general cardiovascular risk scores (FGCRS) for 1588 participants (mean age, 80; 76% women) who were free from dementia at baseline and followed them for as long as 21 years with annual assessments of cognitive function. A subgroup of 378 participants also underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at least once during follow-up.
Participants in the highest tertile of FGCRS had significantly faster decline in cognition, episodic and working memory, and perceptual speed than those in the lowest tertile. Higher FGCRS also was associated with significantly lower total brain volume, gray matter, and hippocampu…