title: The pattern of brain gray matter impairments in patients with subcortical vascular dementia.
abstract: Though subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD) is known to initially affect subcortical regions, numerous brain imaging studies have also documented the widespread cortical alternations. Here we collected brain structural magnetic resonance imaging data from 34 SIVD patients and 35 healthy controls. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM), cortical thickness (and surface area) analysis and deep gray matter volume measurements were performed. VBM analysis showed gray matter volume reduction in lateral and medial temporal lobes, as well as orbitofrontal cortex in SIVD patients. The surface-based analyses revealed more subtle structural differences in the perisylvian area, medial temporal lobe, anterior and posterior cingulate, as well as prefrontal areas. Furthermore, analyses of deep gray matter demonstrated significant atrophy of the hippocampus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens and other nuclei. Finally, we found that thinning in the hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex, as well as the volume decline in thalamus, caudate nucleus and amygdala was correlated with the cognitive impairment in patients. In conclusion, our study showed the structural abnormalities of the hippocampus and its associated outflow areas, as well as cortices implicated in cholinergic circuits in SIVD. These findings may bring new insights into the dysfunction of brain gray matter in SIVD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Chuanming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.affiliation: McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A2B4, Canada.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A2B4, Canada.
authors.forename: Alan C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Jiuquan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Luqing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
authors.forename: Daiquan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China. Electronic address: wangjian_811@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A2B4, Canada. Electronic address: xuntaoyin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Xuntao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Cognitive impairment; Cortical thickness; Deep gray matter; Hippocampus; Subcortical ischemic vascular dementia; Voxel-based morphometry