Deep medullary veins are associated with widespread brain structural abnormalities

2021 ◽  
pp. 0271678X2110652
Author(s):  
Zi-Yue Liu ◽  
Fei-Fei Zhai ◽  
Dong-Hui Ao ◽  
Fei Han ◽  
Ming-Li Li ◽  
...  

Our aim is to investigate the association of cerebral deep medullary veins (DMVs) with white matter microstructural integrity and regional brain atrophy in MRI. In a community-based cohort of 979 participants (mean age 55.4 years), DMVs were identified on susceptibility-weighted imaging. Brain structural measurements including gray matter and hippocampus volumes, as well as diffusion tensor metrics, were evaluated. The mean (SD)number of DMVs was 19.0 (1.7). A fewer number of DMVs was related to lower fractional anisotropy and higher mean diffusivity in multiple voxels on the white matter skeleton (threshold-free cluster enhancement corrected p < 0.05, adjusted for age and sex). Also, fewer DMVs were significantly related to a lower gray matter fraction and a hippocampal fraction (0.10 and 0.11 per DMV, respectively; SE, 0.03 for both; p < 0.001 for both). A significant correlation between DMVs’ reduction and cortical atrophy was observed in the bilateral occipital lobes, temporal lobes, hippocampus, and frontal lobes (p < 0.001, adjusted for age, sex, and total intracranial volume). Our results provided evidence that cerebral small venules disease play a role in brain parenchymal lesions and neurodegenerative processes.

Neurology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (12) ◽  
pp. e1166-e1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dániel Veréb ◽  
Nikoletta Szabó ◽  
Bernadett Tuka ◽  
János Tajti ◽  
András Király ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo examine whether interictal plasma pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide 38-like immunoreactivity (PACAP38-LI) shows correlation with the microstructural integrity of the white matter in migraine.MethodsInterictal plasma PACAP38-LI was measured by radioimmunoassay in 26 patients with migraine (24 women) who underwent diffusion tensor imaging afterward using a 1.5-tesla magnetic resonance scanner. Data were analyzed using tract-based spatial statistics included in FMRIB's Software Library.ResultsInterictal plasma PACAP38-LI showed significant correlation with mean diffusivity (p < 0.0179) mostly in the bilateral occipital white matter spreading into parietal and temporal white matter. Axial and radial diffusivity showed positive correlation with interictal PACAP38-LI (p < 0.0432 and p < 0.0418, respectively) in the left optic radiation and left posterior corpus callosum. Fractional anisotropy did not correlate significantly with PACAP38-LI. With disease duration as a nuisance regressor in the model, PACAP38-LI correlated with axial and mean diffusivity in the left thalamus (p < 0.01).ConclusionWe report a link between PACAP38, a pathobiologically important neurochemical biomarker, and imaging markers of the disease that may bolster further research into the role of PACAP38 in migraine.


Neurology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 88 (13) ◽  
pp. 1256-1264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Siepmann ◽  
Henry Boardman ◽  
Amy Bilderbeck ◽  
Ludovica Griffanti ◽  
Yvonne Kenworthy ◽  
...  

Objective:To determine whether changes in cerebral structure are present after preeclampsia that may explain increased cerebrovascular risk in these women.Methods:We conducted a case control study in women between 5 and 15 years after either a preeclamptic or normotensive pregnancy. Brain MRI was performed. Analysis of white matter structure was undertaken using voxel-based segmentation of fluid-attenuation inversion recovery sequences to assess white matter lesion volume and diffusion tensor imaging to measure microstructural integrity. Voxel-based analysis of gray matter volumes was performed with adjustment for skull size.Results:Thirty-four previously preeclamptic women (aged 42.8 ± 5.1 years) and 49 controls were included. Previously preeclamptic women had reduced cortical gray matter volume (523.2 ± 30.1 vs 544.4 ± 44.7 mL, p < 0.05) and, although both groups displayed white matter lesions, changes were more extensive in previously preeclamptic women. They displayed increased temporal lobe white matter disease (lesion volume: 23.2 ± 24.9 vs 10.9 ± 15.0 μL, p < 0.05) and altered microstructural integrity (radial diffusivity: 538 ± 19 vs 526 ± 18 × 10−6 mm2/s, p < 0.01), which also extended to occipital and parietal lobes. The degree of temporal lobe white matter change in previously preeclamptic women was independent of their current cardiovascular risk profile (p < 0.05) and increased with time from index pregnancy (p < 0.05).Conclusion:A history of preeclampsia is associated with temporal lobe white matter changes and reduced cortical volume in young women, which is out of proportion to their classic cardiovascular risk profile. The severity of changes is proportional to time since pregnancy, which would be consistent with continued accumulation of damage after pregnancy.


Neurology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. e313-e318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy F. Strain ◽  
Robert X. Smith ◽  
Helen Beaumont ◽  
Catherine M. Roe ◽  
Brian A. Gordon ◽  
...  

ObjectiveWhite matter (WM) projections were assessed from Alzheimer disease (AD) gray matter regions associated with β-amyloid (Aβ), tau, or neurodegeneration to ascertain relationship between WM structural integrity with Aβ and/or tau deposition.MethodsParticipants underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), PET Aβ ([18F]AV-45 [florbetapir]), and PET tau ([18F]AV-1451 [flortaucipir]) imaging. Probabilistic WM summary and individual tracts were created from either a composite or individual gray matter seed regions derived from Aβ, tau, and neurodegeneration. Linear regressions were performed for Aβ, age, tau and WM hyperintensities (WMH) to predict mean diffusivity (MD) or fractional anisotropy (FA) from the corresponding WM summaries or tracts.ResultsOur cohort was composed of 59 cognitively normal participants and 10 cognitively impaired individuals. Aβ was not associated with DTI metrics in WM summary or individual tracts. Age and WMH strongly predicted MD and FA in several WM regions, with tau a significant predictor of MD only in the anterior temporal WM.ConclusionTau, not Aβ, was associated with changes in anterior temporal WM integrity. WMH, a proxy for vascular damage, was strongly associated with axonal damage, but tau independently contributed to the model, suggesting an additional degenerative mechanism within tracts projecting from regions vulnerable to AD pathology. WM decline was associated with early tau accumulation, and further decline may reflect tau propagation in more advanced stages of AD.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle C Kern ◽  
Clinton B Wright ◽  
Richard Leigh

Background: Stroke causes focal and diffuse structural brain changes that may contribute to subsequent cognitive decline and dementia. We hypothesize that MRI structural measures can detect continued cerebral degeneration over the first year after stroke. We identify predictors for progression of brain atrophy, leukoaraiosis and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics. Methods: Patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled prospectively in an observational study that included serial brain MRI. Patients underwent MRI FLAIR and DTI at the time of acute stroke and were followed for at least 9 months with multiple MRIs between 30 days and 15 months post-stroke. We used FLAIR to measure brain atrophy as the percent brain parenchymal fraction (BPF) of the total intracranial volume (TICV) and white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) as a percentage of TICV. DTI was used to calculate Peak Skeletonized Mean Diffusivity (PSMD), a global measure of white matter integrity previously validated in cerebral small vessel disease. Longitudinal changes in BPF, WMHV or PSMD were measured from 30 days post-stroke onward using linear regression models that included age, stroke volume, baseline BPF and WMHV as predictors. Results: Twenty-six patients had a median of 4 follow-ups over 9-15 months. Median age was 74 years (range 51-84) and 38% were women. Mean stroke volume was 4.5cc (0 - 30cc). Mean BPF was 78% (72 - 86%) and mean baseline WMHV was 1.1% (0.1 - 3.9%). BPF was associated with age and declined by 0.7% per year (t(111) = 2.7, p = 0.007). Progression was associated with baseline BPF (t(111) = -3.4, p < 0.001). WMHV in the non-stroke hemisphere was associated with age and increased by 0.10% per year (t(87) = -5.8, p < 0.001). Accumulation was associated with age (t(87) = 5.8, p < 0.001). PSMD was associated with baseline WMHV and had a relative increase of 1.9% per year in the non-stroke hemisphere and 4.5% in the stroke hemisphere (t(174) = -2.1, p = 0.03). Progression was associated with age (t(174) = 2.3, p = 0.03) and stroke volume (t(174) = 2.4, p = 0.02). Conclusions: During the months after ischemic stroke, BPF, WMHV and PSMD can detect persistent structural changes that may reflect later phases of stroke injury or ongoing contributions of aging, silent ischemia, or neurodegeneration.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 349-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Gallagher ◽  
Brian Bell ◽  
Barbara Bendlin ◽  
Matthew Palotti ◽  
Ozioma Okonkwo ◽  
...  

AbstractRecent studies suggest that white matter abnormalities contribute to both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The present study was designed to investigate the degree to which diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) indices are related to executive function in Parkinson's patients. We used tract-based spatial statistics to compare DTI data from 15 patients to 15 healthy, age- and education-matched controls. We then extracted mean values of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) within an a priori frontal mask. Executive function composite Z scores were regressed against these DTI indices, age, and total intracranial volume. In Parkinson's patients, FA was related to executive composite scores, and both indices were related to Stroop interference scores. We conclude that white matter microstructural abnormalities contribute to cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease. Further work is needed to determine whether these white matter changes reflect the pathological process or a clinically important comorbidity. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–6)


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 530-530
Author(s):  
Cynthia Felix ◽  
Lana Chahine ◽  
Honglei Chen ◽  
Zichun Cao ◽  
Caterina Rosano

Abstract Olfaction declines with aging, and hyposmia, or impaired sense of smell, is associated with neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Neuroimaging studies of hyposmia in AD/PD patients have often examined pathology-specific brain regions. Our knowledge of neural correlates in regions that mediate olfaction in community-dwelling older adults, is limited. We quantified mean diffusivity (MD) of the gray matter (GM) using diffusion tensor imaging in a community-dwelling sample of 308 older adults (mean age: 82.9 years, 58% women, 40% black). We focused on total brain and these regions involved in olfaction- olfactory bulb, amygdala, entorhinal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and hippocampus. Smell was tested with a scratch-and-sniff validated odor identification test, the Brief Smell Identification Test (BSIT). Hyposmia was defined as BSIT score of ≤8, assessed about 7 years prior to neuroimaging. In our sample, 23% had hyposmia, more in in men (30%) than in women (19%). Hyposmia was not significantly associated with cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension; diseases such as stroke; age; race; cognitive or mobility functions (all p&gt;0.1). In linear regression models adjusted for demographics and brain atrophy (total brain gray matter volume divided by intracranial volume), hyposmia was significantly associated with higher GM MD (lower microstructural integrity) of the left orbitofrontal cortex (standardized beta: 0.142, t=2.56, p=0.011). Understanding the neural substrates involved in hyposmia in aging is an important step towards advancing research on hyposmia in non-clinic-based, community-dwelling populations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Ann Donald ◽  
Annerine Roos ◽  
Jean-Paul Fouche ◽  
Nastassja Koen ◽  
Fleur M. Howells ◽  
...  

BackgroundNeuroimaging studies have indicated that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with alterations in the structure of specific brain regions in children. However, the temporal and regional specificity of such changes and their behavioural consequences are less known. Here we explore the integrity of regional white matter microstructure in infants with in utero exposure to alcohol, shortly after birth.MethodsTwenty-eight alcohol-exposed and 28 healthy unexposed infants were imaged using diffusion tensor imaging sequences to evaluate white matter integrity using validated tract-based spatial statistics analysis methods. Second, diffusion values were extracted for group comparisons by regions of interest. Differences in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity were compared between groups and associations with measures from the Dubowitz neonatal neurobehavioural assessment were examined.ResultsLower AD values (p<0.05) were observed in alcohol-exposed infants in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus compared with non-exposed infants. Altered FA and MD values in alcohol-exposed neonates in the right inferior cerebellar were associated with abnormal neonatal neurobehaviour.ConclusionThese exploratory data suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with reduced white matter microstructural integrity even early in the neonatal period. The association with clinical measures reinforces the likely clinical significance of this finding. The location of the findings is remarkably consistent with previously reported studies of white matter structural deficits in older children with a diagnosis of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.


2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (6) ◽  
pp. 295-304
Author(s):  
V. A. Perepelov ◽  
V. I. Solodovnikov ◽  
V. E. Sinitsyn ◽  
E. M. Perepelova ◽  
N. N. Koberskaya ◽  
...  

Objective. To compare diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) measures in different anatomic regions of the brain in patients with an isolated Alzheimer's disease (AD) and patients with AD and small-vessel disease (SVD).Material and methods. 20 AD patients, aged 66 (±10), of whom 11 AD patients had an isolated neurodegenerative process and 9 patients, who were diagnosed with AD+SVD, were examined. A research was made on a 3 T Siemens Magnetom Skyra MR-scanner. All participants underwent the same imaging protocol, which included standard clinical- and diffusion tensor pulse sequences. With an MR-image processing software package Olea Medical Sphere 3.0, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial and radial diffusivity (AxD and RxD) were measured in different brain regions.Results. Significant differences in DTI measures (FA, MD, AxD, RxD), indicating more severe white matter microstructural damage in AD+SVD patients, compared with patients with an isolated AD, were observed in middle thalamic radiation, upper and lower longitudinal bundles, posterior part of cingulate gyrus and genu of corpus callosum.Conclusion. DTI is an informative method, highly sensitive in detecting difference in white matter microstructural integrity of brain tissue in individuals with an isolated AD and patients with AD+SVD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 176-177
Author(s):  
Qu Tian ◽  
Susan Resnick ◽  
Bennett Landman ◽  
Luigi Ferrucci

Abstract Physical frailty is an age-related clinical syndrome that is related to adverse health outcomes, including cognitive impairment and dementia. Recent studies have shown structural neuroimaging correlates with frailty. However, most existing evidence relies on brain volumetric measures. Whether brain microstructure is associated with frailty and its spatial distribution have not been explored. In the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, we identified 776 cognitively normal participants aged 50 and older who had concurrent data on frailty and brain microstructure by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), including mean diffusivity (MD) of gray matter and fractional anisotropy (FA) of white matter. We first identified neuroimaging markers that were associated with frailty score (0-5) and further examined their relationships with frailty status (0: non-frail, 1-2: pre-frail, 3+: frail) using multivariate linear regression. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, years of education, and Apolipoprotein E e4 carrier status. DTI-based neuroimaging markers that were associated with frailty status were localized in the supplementary motor area of the frontal lobe, several subcortical regions (putamen, caudate), and body and splenium of corpus callosum. This study demonstrates for the first time that microstructure of both gray and white matter differs by frailty levels in cognitively normal older adults. Brain areas were not widespread, but mostly localized in gray matter subcortical motor areas and white matter corpus callosum. Whether changes in brain microstructure precede future frailty development warrants further investigation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document