UW-Madison is one of three institutions involved in an R01-funded project examining the long-term cognitive effects of microembolization associated with carotid stenting, with an overall budget of $1.8 million. This longitudinal study will examine both MRI and neuropsychological changes before and after carotid stenting, in both asymptomatic and symptomatic carotid stenosis patients.
The study’s principal investigator is Dr. Wei Zhou at Palo Alto VA/Stanford University, and the UW site principal investigator is Assistant Professor Vivek Prabhakaran, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Prabhakaran is the head of the Neuroimaging Research Lab, which will be responsible for collecting neuroimaging MRI data and administering neuropsychological tests of memory, language, and processing speed. The group hopes to recruit a total of 90 patients into the study, at a rate of 30 per year. The neuropsychological testing will occur at four intervals, and neuroimaging data will be collected during the first three visits.
At UW, this is a multi-departmental collaboration, with co-investigators Dr. Beverly Aagaard-Kienitz from the Department of Radiology, Drs. David Niemann and Azam Ahmed from the Department of Neurological Surgery, and Drs. Jon Matsumura and Girma Tefera of the Department of Surgery. The project is ready to enroll patients in the study, with institutional review board approval from both UW-Madison and the William S. Middleton VA Hospital.