Association of white matter integrity and cognitive functions in patients with subcortical silent lacunar infarcts.
OBJECTIVE
Silent lacunar infarct (SLI) is a risk factor for dementia. This study investigated the white matter integrity abnormality and its relationship to the cognition impairments in SLI patients.


METHODS
Between 27 patients with SLI in basal ganglia and 30 healthy controls, we assessed the difference in a batter of neuropsychological tests and in white matter integrity measurements, fractional anisotropy, and mean diffusivity, using tract-based spatial statistics.


RESULTS
Compared with healthy controls, SLI patients performed worse in general mental status, memory, executive function, and language ability. They also had reduced fractional anisotropy and increase mean diffusivity in brain regions such as the body and genu of corpus callosum, the forceps minor, the bilateral superior and bilateral anterior corona radiate, and the left external capsule. Furthermore, we found that in SLI patients, fractional anisotropy measure in left external capsule was positively correlated to the performance in memory and language ability.


CONCLUSIONS
SLI in basal ganglia leads to local and remote white matter integrity damages and to the cognition impairments.
From the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research (Y.C., A.W., J.T., Z.Z.) and BABRI Centre (Y.C., A.W., J.T., D.W., P.L., K.C., Y.W., Z.Z.), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China (D.W., P.L., Y.W.); and Banner Good Samaritan PET Center, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ (K.C.).
Yaojing
Y
Chen
From the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research (Y.C., A.W., J.T., Z.Z.) and BABRI Centre (Y.C., A.W., J.T., D.W., P.L., K.C., Y.W., Z.Z.), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China (D.W., P.L., Y.W.); and Banner Good Samaritan PET Center, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ (K.C.).
Ailin
A
Wang
From the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research (Y.C., A.W., J.T., Z.Z.) and BABRI Centre (Y.C., A.W., J.T., D.W., P.L., K.C., Y.W., Z.Z.), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China (D.W., P.L., Y.W.); and Banner Good Samaritan PET Center, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ (K.C.).
Jinfu
J
Tang
From the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research (Y.C., A.W., J.T., Z.Z.) and BABRI Centre (Y.C., A.W., J.T., D.W., P.L., K.C., Y.W., Z.Z.), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China (D.W., P.L., Y.W.); and Banner Good Samaritan PET Center, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ (K.C.).
Dongfeng
D
Wei
From the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research (Y.C., A.W., J.T., Z.Z.) and BABRI Centre (Y.C., A.W., J.T., D.W., P.L., K.C., Y.W., Z.Z.), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China (D.W., P.L., Y.W.); and Banner Good Samaritan PET Center, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ (K.C.).
Peng
P
Li
From the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research (Y.C., A.W., J.T., Z.Z.) and BABRI Centre (Y.C., A.W., J.T., D.W., P.L., K.C., Y.W., Z.Z.), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China (D.W., P.L., Y.W.); and Banner Good Samaritan PET Center, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ (K.C.).
Kewei
K
Chen
From the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research (Y.C., A.W., J.T., Z.Z.) and BABRI Centre (Y.C., A.W., J.T., D.W., P.L., K.C., Y.W., Z.Z.), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China (D.W., P.L., Y.W.); and Banner Good Samaritan PET Center, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ (K.C.).
Yongyan
Y
Wang
From the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research (Y.C., A.W., J.T., Z.Z.) and BABRI Centre (Y.C., A.W., J.T., D.W., P.L., K.C., Y.W., Z.Z.), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Institute of Basic Research in Clinical Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China (D.W., P.L., Y.W.); and Banner Good Samaritan PET Center, Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ (K.C.). zhang_rzs@bnu.edu.cn.
Zhanjun
Z
Zhang
D000368:Aged; D016880:Anisotropy; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059409:Stroke, Lacunar / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
cognition; diffusion tensor imaging; subcortical infarction