Carotid atherosclerotic disease and cognitive function: mechanisms identifying new therapeutic targets

The treatment of carotid atherosclerotic disease lies primarily in decreasing the risk of stroke. Many investigations have suggested carotid atherosclerotic disease as being independently associated with cognitive dysfunction, also supporting the notion that in sub-clinical stages, carotid atherosclerotic disease may not be truly silent. An improvement in cognitive function following revascularization approaches may be expected from the reduced embolism and the improved hemodynamics achieved. However, there are no strong data indicating a cognitive change after carotid angioplasty and stenting or carotid endarterectomy in patients who do not experience stroke complications and there is no evidence to support the performance of prophylactic revascularization procedures with the aim of preventing a cognitive decline in otherwise asymptomatic patients. Given the burden of dementia and its tragic implications for individuals and societies, the identification and treatment of such a preventable condition as carotid atherosclerotic disease should be considered. Therefore, it would be desirable in the design of future comparative studies of treatment strategies for carotid atherosclerotic disease to consider cognitive outcome as an endpoint.