Frequency and characteristics of cognitive impairment in individuals with calcified neurocysticercosis

Objective: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most common helminthic infection of the central nervous system (CNS). When NCC calcifies, it causes symptoms including memory impairment. Here we will assess the frequency and characteristics of cognitive impairment using screening tools in patients with calcified NCC. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in participants of an ongoing cohort of patients with calcified NCC, who were administered the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Memory Alteration Test (MAT) simultaneously. We analyzed these test scores in relation to sociodemographic, clinical, and neuroimaging characteristics. Results: We included 336 individuals, with an average age of 43.6 ± 14.8 years, 56 % of whom were female. The median scores for MMSE and MAT were 27 (IQR 25–28) and 41 (IQR 36–45), respectively. We observed cognitive impairment in 43 (12.8 %) participants with MMSE and 90 (26.8 %) with MAT. Among the 57 participants aged 60 years and older, 17 (29.8 %) had cognitive impairment on MMSE and 29 (50.9 %) on MAT. Lower scores were associated with older age (p < 0.001 for both tests), and the presence of left temporal lobe calcifications (p < 0.001 for both), associations that persisted after multivariate adjustment (p = 0.017 for MMSE and p = 0.043 for MAT). Conclusion: In this cohort, we found that low cognitive scores are frequently observed in patients with calcified NCC (12.8 % by MMSE, 26.8 % by MAT) and are associated with older age and calcifications in the left temporal lobe. Further studies with appropriate control groups are needed to assess these associations beyond screening tools and examine other contributing factors.