Saima Hilal (Singapore)
National University of Singapore
SSHSPH
Dr Saima Hilal is currently an Assistant Professor at Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. Her major expertise sets in neuroimaging, epidemiology, plasma based biomarkers and cognition in the field of Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and healthy aging. Her research involves exploring both vascular and neurodegenerative causes to cognitive impairment in community and hospital based settings. Her strong and devoted passion in neuro-epidemiology and biomarkers of aging research have resulted in one of the most prolific research output with more than 130 publications including lead authorships in top journals including JAMA Neurology, Stroke, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Neurology, Brain and Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Moderator of 1 Session

 Congress Calendar

0790 - ONSITE AND LIVE STREAMED SESSION - Cerebral Small Vessel Disease – Insights Into Mechanisms and Treatment (ID 322)

Session Type
Clinical Manifestations
Date
Wed, 26.10.2022
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Summit 1
Chair(s)

Presenter of 5 Presentations

 Congress Calendar

Brain Imaging for Vascular Cognitive Impairment – What Is Useful and What Needs To Be Established

Session Name
1420 - ONSITE AND LIVE STREAMED SESSION - Joint Session with The International Society of Vascular Behavioural and Cognitive Disorders (VasCog) Advances in Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (ID 365)
Session Type
Clinical Manifestations
Date
Fri, 28.10.2022
Session Time
10:00 - 11:30
Room
Summit 1
Presenter
Lecture Time
10:30 - 10:44

Closing by Chairs

Session Name
0790 - ONSITE AND LIVE STREAMED SESSION - Cerebral Small Vessel Disease – Insights Into Mechanisms and Treatment (ID 322)
Session Type
Clinical Manifestations
Date
Wed, 26.10.2022
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Summit 1
Presenter
Lecture Time
16:55 - 17:00

Epidemiology and Mechanism of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Session Name
0790 - ONSITE AND LIVE STREAMED SESSION - Cerebral Small Vessel Disease – Insights Into Mechanisms and Treatment (ID 322)
Session Type
Clinical Manifestations
Date
Wed, 26.10.2022
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Summit 1
Presenter
Lecture Time
16:06 - 16:23

Opening by Chairs

Session Name
0790 - ONSITE AND LIVE STREAMED SESSION - Cerebral Small Vessel Disease – Insights Into Mechanisms and Treatment (ID 322)
Session Type
Clinical Manifestations
Date
Wed, 26.10.2022
Session Time
15:30 - 17:00
Room
Summit 1
Presenter
Lecture Time
15:30 - 15:32

RETINAL PARAMETERS, CORTICAL CEREBRAL MICROINFARCTS AND THEIR INTERACTION WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Session Name
1690 - FREE COMMUNICATIONS 17: SMALL VESSEL DISEASE AND VASCULAR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (ID 240)
Session Type
Other
Date
Fri, 28.10.2022
Session Time
17:15 - 18:45
Room
Nicoll 2-3
Presenter
Lecture Time
17:15 - 17:25

Abstract

Background and Aims

Quantitative changes in retinal vessels and thinning of optic nerves have been associated with subclinical (atherosclerosis) and clinical age-related brain pathologies (stroke, neurodegeneration). However, data on the association between both retinal vascular and neuronal parameters with cortical cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) and how these factors jointly influence cognition is lacking. We investigated the association of retinal vascular and neuronal changes with CMIs on 3TMRI and explored their interaction with cognitive impairment in a memory-clinic population.

Methods

A total of 538 participants were included. Retinal vascular parameters (caliber, tortuosity, fractal dimension) were measured from retinal fundus photographs using a semi-automated computer-assisted program. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) thicknesses were obtained from optical coherence tomography. Cortical CMIs were defined as hypointense on T1-weighted MRI, <5mm in diameter and restricted to the cortex. Cognition was assessed using Clinical Dementia Rating Sum-of-Boxes (CDR-SoB) score and detailed neuropsychological test.

Results

Larger venular caliber (Rate ratios (RR):1.15, 95%CI:1.01-1.38, p=0.014), increased venular fractal dimension (RR:1.58, 95%CI:1.31-1.91, p=<0.001), increased venular tortuosity (RR:1.54, 95%CI:1.35-1.75, p=<0.001) and thinner GC-IPL (RR:1.24, 95%CI:1.13-1.36, p=<0.001) were associated with CMI counts. Among individuals in highest tertile of retinal parameters, a significant interaction was observed between venular tortuosity (RR:1.12, 95%CI:1.02-1.22, p-interaction=0.014), and GC-IPL (RR:1.05, 95%CI:1.01-1.11, p-interaction<0.001) with CMIs on CDR-SoB.

Conclusions

Retinal vascular and neuronal parameters are associated with cortical CMIs and persons with both pathologies are likely to have cognitive impairment. Further studies may be warranted to evaluate the clinical utility of retinal parameters and CMI in risk prediction for cognitive dysfunction.

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