title: Imaging small vessel-associated white matter changes in aging.
abstract: Alterations in cerebrovascular structure and function may underlie the most common age-associated cognitive, psychiatric, and neurological conditions presented by older adults. Although much remains to understand, existing research suggests several age-associated detrimental conditions may be mediated through sometimes subtle small vessel-induced damage to the cerebral white matter. Here we review a selected portion of the vast work that demonstrates links between changes in vascular and neural health as a function of advancing age, and how even changes in low-to-moderate risk individuals, potentially beginning early in the adult age-span, may have an important impact on functional status in late life.
authors: Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Radiology, Charlestown, MA, USA; Neuroimaging Research for Veterans Center, Boston VA Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: salat@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
authors: D H
authors: DH
authors: Salat
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D055806:Microvessels / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011379:Prognosis; D066127:White Matter / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: aging; cerebral blood flow; cerebrovascular; hyperintensities; microvascular; white matter