title: Stroke risk modifies regional white matter differences in mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: Forty non-demented older adults who were divided into two groups on the basis of their cognitive status (MCI: n=20; normal control: n=20) underwent diffusion tensor imaging, and estimates of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were obtained for the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum. Results demonstrated the following: (1) group comparisons revealed that splenium FA was significantly lower in MCI participants than in NC participants, despite no differences in gross morphometry or hippocampal volumes; (2) in the overall sample, higher stroke risk was associated with lower white matter integrity, particularly in the genu; (3) increased stroke risk was more strongly associated with poorer splenium FA in those with MCI than in normal elderly; (4) splenium FA significantly predicted performance on verbal memory (adjusting for the effects of age, education, and whole brain volume). Findings demonstrate a relationship between increased vascular burden and white matter changes, and they support the possibility that posterior white matter pathology may contribute to the development of MCI-related cognitive changes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Delano-Wood
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Bondi
authors.forename: Amy J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Jak
authors.forename: Nikki R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Horne
authors.forename: Brian C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Schweinsburg
authors.forename: Lawrence R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Christina E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Wierenga
authors.forename: Dean C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Delis
authors.forename: Rebecca J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Theilmann
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Salmon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016880:Anisotropy; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D056784:Leukoencephalopathies / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology*