Alzheimer's Imaging Consortium

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neuroimaging
• Alzheimer's Disease Research

Background:

• White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are common in elderly individuals and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.
• The underlying causes and cognitive impact of WMH in AD are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between WMH (global and regional) and AD-related pathologies in biologically diagnosed AD patients.
• To explore the association of WMH burden with cognitive performance, particularly Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 170 AD patients with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, MRI, and cognitive assessments.
• Semiquantitative scales used for WMH and atrophy assessment; linear regression models employed to analyze associations with age, AD biomarkers, cerebral microbleeds (CMB), and vascular risk factors.
• MMSE scores analyzed against WMH and atrophy burden, adjusting for demographic factors.

Main Results:

• Global WMH severity correlated with older age, lower CSF Aβ42 levels, and more severe CMB.
• Regional WMH (paraventricular, frontal, parietal) associated with age, CMB grade, and CSF Aβ42 levels.
• Lower MMSE scores linked to increased medial temporal atrophy (MTA) and higher paraventricular WMH burden, independent of age, sex, and education.

Conclusions:

• WMH in AD patients, especially in frontal, parietal, and paraventricular regions, are associated with AD pathology (CSF Aβ42, CMB), not vascular risk factors or CSF tau.
• Paraventricular WMH show a significant independent association with cognitive decline in AD patients.