Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging for detecting the cerebral microstructure changes in patients with...

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD)-induced mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been linked to cognitive decline. Brain atrophy is considered the most common change in patients with MCI, which can be measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The study aimed to explore the relationship between DTI parameters and cognitive function in CSVD patients with MCI. This retrospective analysis involved 185 patients with CSVD, comprising 87 cases with MCI and 98 cases without MCI (NMCI). Analyses of demographic and clinical characteristics were conducted. DTI-measured fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex regions were examined. The diagnostic values were determined using receiver-operative-curve (ROC) analysis, with the Youden index identifying optimum sensitivity and specificity. Correlations between Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) scores and FA or MD in patients with MCI were further assessed. No significant differences were observed in demographic and clinical characteristics between MCI and NMCI groups (all P > 0.05), except for diabetes prevalence (P = 0.011). Notably, the ROC analysis highlighted the diagnostic potential of FA, showing the maximum area under the curve values (hippocampus-left: 0.76; hippocampus-right: 0.66; entorhinal cortex-left: 0.62; entorhinal cortex-right: 0.64). MD exhibited a significant negative correlation with MoCA scores (hippocampus-left: r = -0.58, P < 0.001; hippocampus-right: r = -0.41, P < 0.001; entorhinal cortex-Lleft: r = -0.49, P < 0.001; entorhinal cortex-right: r = -0.27, P < 0.001), whereas FA showed a significant positive correlation (hippocampus-left: r = 0.51, P < 0.001; hippocampus-right: r = 0.31, P = 0.004; entorhinal cortex-left: r = 0.35, P < 0.001; entorhinal cortex-right: r = 0.38, P < 0.001). The study demonstrates the diagnostic value of DTI parameters in CSVD patients with MCI, emphasizing the associations between microstructural brain changes and cognitive function.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-measured fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity demonstrate significant correlation with cognitive function, highlighting the diagnostic potential of DTI parameters in cerebral small vessel disease patients with mild cognitive impairment. Current findings emphasize the associations between microstructural brain changes and cognitive function.