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Brain Peak Width of Skeletonized Mean Diffusivity (PSMD) and Cognitive Function in Later Life.
Ian J Deary1,2, Stuart J Ritchie1,2,3, Susana Muñoz Maniega2,4,5
1Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|August 13, 2019
Summary
The brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Aging
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Cognitive aging is characterized by declines in processing speed.
- Structural brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) indices are explored as biomarkers for cognitive aging.
- Peak width of skeletonized water mean diffusivity (PSMD) is a potential neuro-biomarker.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if PSMD is a more specific biomarker for processing speed compared to other cognitive domains.
- To determine if PSMD is a stronger correlate of processing speed than other structural brain MRI indices.
- To assess the utility of PSMD as a biomarker in cognitive aging research.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 731 members of the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (mean age 73).
- Assessed cognitive domains including processing speed, visuospatial ability, memory, and verbal ability.
- Analyzed brain imaging variables: PSMD, white matter diffusion, hyperintensity volumes, gray/white matter volumes, and perivascular spaces.
Main Results:
- PSMD showed significant associations with processing speed (-0.27), visuospatial ability (-0.23), memory (-0.17), and general cognitive ability (-0.25).
- Correlations between PSMD and cognitive abilities were comparable to other brain-imaging measures.
- PSMD independently predicted visuospatial and general cognitive abilities in a multivariable model.
Conclusions:
- PSMD is associated with multiple cognitive domains, with a notable link to processing speed.
- PSMD demonstrates potential as a useful neuro-biomarker in cognitive aging studies due to its incremental predictive value and ease of computation.
- Further research may validate PSMD's role in understanding cognitive aging processes.
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