title: Effect of white matter lesions on brain perfusion in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study examined the effect of white matter lesions (WMLs) on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-eight patients with AD were included in the study (40 men and 58 women; mean age, 78.1 years). Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and (99m)Tc ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon emission computed tomography were performed in all subjects. AD patients were divided into two subgroups according to the presence of WMLs on MRI. A voxel-by-voxel group analysis using Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 was used to detect the differences in rCBF between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-seven of 98 AD patients (58%) showed mild to moderate WMLs on MRI. The prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in AD patients with WMLs than in those without WMLs. AD patients with WMLs exhibited a significantly decreased rCBF in the anterior cingulate gyrus and insula, compared to AD patients without WMLs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that WMLs might influence brain regions associated with the limbic system in patients with AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neuromuscular Disorders, Oita University, Faculty of Medicine, Yufu, Japan. noriyuki@oita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakama
authors.forename: Kenichirou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aso
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kumamoto
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D056784:Leukoencephalopathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011859:Radiography; D013667:Technetium; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D013667:Technetium