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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

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The association between frailty and MRI features of cerebral small vessel disease

Ilse M J Kant1,2, Henri J M M Mutsaerts3, Simone J T van Montfort4

  • 1Department of Intensive Care Medicine and Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 100, Utrecht, The Netherlands. i.kant-2@umcutrecht.nl.

Scientific Reports
|August 7, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Frailty in older adults is linked to increased white matter hyperintensity volume and complex shapes on MRI scans. These brain changes may be structural correlates of the frailty syndrome in non-demented individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Frailty is a prevalent condition in older adults, associated with adverse cognitive outcomes.
  • The specific brain changes underlying frailty remain largely undetermined.
  • Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is common in aging and impacts brain health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between frailty and neuroimaging markers of SVD.
  • To explore MRI features, including white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and lacunar infarcts, in relation to frailty status.

Main Methods:

  • 170 non-demented older individuals were categorized as frail, pre-frail, or non-frail.
  • Brain MRI was used to assess WMH volume and shape, lacunar infarcts, and gray matter perfusion.
  • Regression analyses, adjusted for age and sex, were employed to examine associations.

Main Results:

  • Frail and pre-frail individuals exhibited significantly higher WMH volume compared to non-frail participants.
  • Pre-frail individuals showed more complex WMH shapes, indicated by altered concavity and fractal dimensions.
  • No significant differences in gray matter perfusion or lacunar infarcts were observed between groups.

Conclusions:

  • Increased WMH volume is a potential structural brain correlate of the frailty phenotype.
  • More complex WMH shapes may also be associated with pre-frailty.
  • These findings highlight the role of SVD in the neurobiology of frailty.

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