Spatial-temporal interactions between white matter hyperintensities and multiple pathologies across the Alzheimer's...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuropathology
• Network Neuroscience

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease (AD) and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) interactions in brain networks are not fully understood.
• Clarifying these relationships is crucial for understanding AD progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dynamic, multiscale interactions between AD pathologies and WMHs.
• To model the interplay of amyloid beta (Aβ), WMHs, and white matter microstructural changes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database.
• Modeled regional WMHs, Aβ accumulation, and microstructural changes using time-evolving graphs.
• Applied Granger causality analysis on pseudo-time subject sequences to determine causal relationships.

Main Results:

• Aβ accumulation was identified as a Granger cause of WMHs in the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) structural network in 86% of sequences.
• WMHs significantly correlated with microstructural changes (reduced fractional anisotropy) in the ILF, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and cingulum.

Conclusions:

• Findings illuminate the complex, time-dependent interactions between WMHs and AD pathologies.
• Provides insights into the relationship between cerebral small vessel disease and AD.