{
  "abstract": "Aims: Cortical cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) are small but could induce tissue injury extending beyond the lesion core. The thalamus, as a central cortico-subcortical hub, may be particularly vulnerable to CMI-related remote injury, potentially linking focal cortical lesions to cognitive impairment in cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). We examined associations of CMI burden with thalamic atrophy and cognitive impairment in SVD patients.\n\nMethods: This cross-sectional study included 133 patients with SVD. CMI burden was visually rated for presence and count. Thalamic volumes were derived from T1 images, and cognition was measured via the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Linear regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of CMI count with conventional SVD imaging markers, thalamic volumes, and MMSE scores. Exploratory statistical mediation analysis examined the indirect association of CMI count with MMSE via intralaminar thalamic volume.\n\nResults: Among 133 participants, 65 had CMIs. Higher CMI count was associated with lower MMSE scores after adjustment for age, sex, educational level, vascular risk factors, and conventional SVD MRI markers (p<0.001). Higher CMI count was not associated with total thalamic volume, but was selectively associated with lower intralaminar thalamic volume (FDR-adjusted p=0.045). The indirect association was statistically significant in the full sample but not after excluding thalamic lacunes.\n\nConclusions: CMIs were associated with cognitive impairment and lower intralaminar thalamic volume. The indirect association should be considered preliminary and hypothesis-generating. These findings highlight the role of the thalamus, as a key cortico-subcortical connectivity hub, in CMI-related remote tissue injury and cognitive dysfunction in SVD.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, China",
    "Department of Neurology, Guangdong Neuroscience Institute, Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern, Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China",
    "Department of Neurology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Provincial People's Hospital Ganzhou Hospital (Ganzhou Municipal Hospital), Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Ganzhou, Guangdong, China",
    "Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China",
    "Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China",
    "Department of Medical Imaging, Anatomy, Research Institute for Medical Innovation, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Center for Medical Neuroscience, Radboud Technology Center Preclinical imaging PRIME, Radboud Alzheimer Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands",
    "Department of Neurology, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Center for, Medical Neurosciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Mengshi Liao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Wenli Zhou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Meng Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Xuewen Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Yuntao Lao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Zhefeng Xie"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yuhu Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Gemma Solé-Guardia"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Anil M Tuladhar"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Hao Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Yuhua Fan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2mre4dfes5afj.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.cccb.2026.100569",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13721104/",
  "id": "2mre4dfes5afj",
  "issns": [
    "2666-2450"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cccb.2026.100569",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2728|Cerebrovascular and genetic disorders"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223038327",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13721104",
  "pmid": "42965047",
  "published": "2026-10-20",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2mre4dfes5afj.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T12:21:51Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13721104",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cccb.2026.100569"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2728|Cerebrovascular and genetic disorders",
      "subfield": "neurology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Cortical microinfarcts are associated with thalamic subregional volume and cognitive impairment in small vessel disease",
  "title_text": "Cortical microinfarcts are associated with thalamic subregional volume and cognitive impairment in small vessel disease",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:21:51Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2mre4dfes5afj",
  "venue": "Cerebral Circulation - Cognition and Behavior",
  "versions": []
}