title: Structural MRI in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease: white and black spots.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  White matter changes (WMC) and microbleeds (MBs) are common in the elderly and in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the prevalence, anatomical distribution and longitudinal changes of WMC and MBs in normal aging subjects compared to AD patients and to describe current evidence of their effects on the clinical course of AD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Short literature review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  WMC and MBs are more frequent and progress more rapidly in AD patients than in cognitively normal elderly. New MBs occur in up to one quarter of AD cases without any therapeutic intervention. WMC and MBs influence the clinical course of AD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  WMC and MBs might represent treatment targets in clinical trials on AD.
authors.affiliation: Division of Special Neurology, Department of Neurology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cavalieri
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*