Blood Pressure Determinants of Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensities and Microstructural Injury: UK Biobank Cohort Study.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wartolowska KA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8260341 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Blood Pressure Determinants of Cerebral White Matter Hyperintensities and Microstructural Injury: UK Biobank Cohort Study.
Wartolowska Karolina A KA Webb Alastair J S AJS
Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) 20210601 2
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Project description:BackgroundTwo markers of cerebral small vessel disease are white matter hyperintensities and cerebral microbleeds, which commonly occur in people with Alzheimer's disease.Aim and/or hypothesisTo test for independent associations between two Alzheimer's disease-susceptibility gene loci--APOE ? and the TOMM40 '523' poly-T repeat--and white matter hyperintensities/cerebral microbleed burden in community-dwelling older adults.MethodsParticipants in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 underwent genotyping for APOE ? and TOMM40 523, and detailed structural brain magnetic resonance imaging at a mean age of 72·70 years (standard deviation?=?0·7; range?=?71-74).ResultsNo significant effects of APOE ? or TOMM40 523 genotypes on white matter hyperintensities or cerebral microbleed burden were found amongst 624 participants.ConclusionsLack of association between two Alzheimer's disease susceptibility gene loci and markers of cerebral small vessel disease may reflect the relative health of this population compared with those in other studies in the literature.
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Project description:Background and Purpose: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly seen on structural MRI of older adults and are a manifestation of underlying and adjacent tissue damage. WMH may contribute to cortical disconnection and cognitive dysfunction, but it is unclear how WMH affect intersecting or nearby white matter tract integrity. This study investigated the effects of WMH on tract microstructure by determining the spatial distribution of water diffusion characteristics in white matter tract areas adjacent to both intersecting and nearby WMH. Methods: We used diffusion and structural MRI data from 52 representative participants from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (72.2 ± 0.7 years) including a range of WMH burden. We segmented WMH, reconstructed 18 main white mater tracts using automated quantitative tractography and identified intersections between tracts and WMH. We measured mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) in tract tissue at 2 mm incremental distances from tract-intersecting and non-intersecting (nearby) WMH. Results: We observed a spatial gradient of FA and MD abnormalities for most white matter tracts which diminished with a similar distance pattern for tract-intersecting and nearby WMH. Overall, FA was higher, while MD was lower around nearby WMH compared with tract-intersecting WMH. However, for some tracts, FA was lower in areas immediately surrounding nearby WMH, although with faster normalization than in FA values surrounding tract-intersecting WMH. Conclusion: WMH have similar effects on tract infrastructure, whether they be intersecting or nearby. However, the observed differences in tract water diffusion properties around WMH suggest that degenerative processes in small vessel disease may propagate further along the tract for intersecting WMH, while in some areas of the brain there is a larger and more localized accumulation of axonal damage in tract tissue nearby a non-connected WMH. Longitudinal studies should address differential effects of intersecting vs. nearby WMH progression and how they contribute to cognitive aging.
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Project description:Importance:White matter hyperintense lesions (WMHs) are highly prevalent in patients with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS); however, their characteristics and underlying pathophysiology are unclear. Objective:To investigate the spatiotemporal distribution and pathomechanisms of WMHs in patients with RCVS. Design, Setting, and Participants:We prospectively recruited patients with RCVS over a 3-year period from January 2010 through December 2012 from the headache center or emergency department of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, a 2947-bed national medical center. In total, 85 patients with RCVS were approached, of whom 4 declined to participate, 5 declined follow-up scans, 6 were lost to follow-up, and 5 had suboptimal images. Patients received serial isotropic 3-dimension fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequence imaging (1-mm slice thickness) with a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging machine as well as transcranial and extracranial color-coded sonography on registration and during follow-ups (at 1 and 2 months, with variations adapting to clinical condition). Data were analyzed from January 2015 to May 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures:The fluid-attenuated inversion recovery lesion segmentation toolbox was used to segment WMHs automatically. The WMHs were classified as periventricular or deep and were segmented into 13 anatomical locations. The neuroimaging scientists who executed the program were blinded to clinical information. Vascular parameters, including the Lindegaard index (vasoconstriction severity), pulsatility index, and resistance index of the internal carotid artery, were independently collected for comparison. Results:Sixty-five patients with RCVS completed the study and underwent a total of 162 magnetic resonance imaging examinations. Of the 65 included patients, 58 (89%) were women, and the mean (SD) age was 50.1 (8.9) years. The total mean (SD) WMH load peaked at 3.2 (4.4) cm3 in the third week postonset and fell to 0.8 (0.6) cm3 in the fourth week. White matter hyperintensities were predominantly frontal and periventricular. White matter hyperintensity load correlated strongly with Lindegaard index during the second week of the disease course (r?=?0.908; P?<?.001) and also correlated with the pulsatility index and resistance index of the internal carotid artery. Conclusions and Relevance:White matter hyperintensities in patients with RCVS have a dynamic temporal evolution that parallels disease severity. The finding of partially reversible WMHs deserves attention and should be known by clinicians taking care of patients with RCVS. White matter hyperintensities in RCVS may be attributed, at least partially, to regional hypoperfusion and impaired dampening capacity to central pulsatile flow.
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