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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

DTI of the Visual Pathway - White Matter Tracts and Cerebral Lesions
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DTI of the Visual Pathway - White Matter Tracts and Cerebral Lesions

Published on: August 26, 2014

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Spatial Gradient of Microstructural Changes in Normal-Appearing White Matter in Tracts Affected by White Matter

Susana Muñoz Maniega1,2,3, Rozanna Meijboom1,2,3,4, Francesca M Chappell1,5

  • 1Neuroimaging Sciences, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

Frontiers in Neurology
|August 13, 2019
PubMed

Insights

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) impact brain tract integrity similarly whether intersecting or nearby. Diffusion imaging reveals distinct patterns of microstructural damage, suggesting localized axonal injury near non-connected WMH and further propagation along tracts for intersecting WMH.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Neurology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are common in older adults, indicating brain tissue damage.
  • WMH may disrupt neural connections and lead to cognitive decline.
  • The precise impact of WMH on adjacent white matter tract integrity remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how white matter hyperintensities (WMH) affect the microstructure of nearby and intersecting white matter tracts.
  • To determine the spatial distribution of water diffusion characteristics around WMH.

Main Methods:

  • Diffusion and structural MRI data from 52 older adults (Lothian Birth Cohort 1936) were analyzed.
  • White matter hyperintensities (WMH) were segmented, and 18 major white matter tracts were reconstructed.
  • Mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were measured at varying distances from WMH and tract intersections.

Main Results:

  • A spatial gradient of diffusion abnormalities (FA and MD) was observed around both intersecting and nearby WMH.
  • FA was generally higher and MD lower around nearby WMH compared to intersecting WMH.
  • Some tracts showed reduced FA near nearby WMH, normalizing faster than around intersecting WMH.

Conclusions:

  • White matter hyperintensities (WMH) affect tract microstructure similarly regardless of whether they intersect or are merely nearby.
  • Diffusion property differences suggest localized axonal damage near non-connected WMH and potential propagation along tracts for intersecting WMH.
  • Further longitudinal studies are needed to understand WMH progression and cognitive aging.
Keywords:
agingbraincerebral small vessel diseasediffusion MRItractographywhite matter hyperintensities

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