Macro- and micro-structural white matter differences correlate with cognitive performance in healthy aging
Macro- and micro-structural white matter differences correlate with cognitive performance in healthy aging
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DOI：
10.1007/s11682-015-9378-4
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发表时间：
2016-03-01
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Sousa, Nuno Jorge Carvalho
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Marques, Paulo Cesar Goncalves;Soares, Jose Miguel Montenegro;Sousa, Nuno Jorge Carvalho
研究表明，白质 (WM) 体积会随着衰老而减少和整体退化。尽管如此，人们对于老年人不同认知状态下可能存在的 WM 改变知之甚少。目前工作的主要目标是识别和描述可能的宏观和微观结构 WM 改变，这些改变可以区分具有对比认知特征的老年健康个体（即“差”与“好”认知表现者）。进行结构和扩散磁共振成像以量化局部 WM 体积、白质信号异常 (WMSA) 体积（病变负荷的测量）和已知可探测 WM 微观结构的扩散张量成像标量图。进行了一系列神经认知/心理测试来评估认知表现。与表现良好的人相比，表现不佳的人在 WMSA 数量和年龄之间的正相关关系中表现出更高的斜率。即使在控制 WMSA 体积时，表现不佳的人也表现出较低的分数各向异性，以及与年龄呈正相关，径向和轴向扩散率回归参数的斜率较高。总而言之，结果表明认知表现与 WM 差异相关，认知表现较差的人表现出 WM 老化速度加快的迹象。
Studies have shown that white matter (WM) volumetric reductions and overall degradation occur with aging. Nonetheless little is known about the WM alterations that may underlie different cognitive status in older individuals. The main goal of the present work was to identify and characterize possible macro and microstructural WM alterations that could distinguish between older healthy individuals with contrasting cognitive profiles (i.e., "poor" vs "good" cognitive performers). Structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging was performed in order to quantify local WM volumes, white matter signal abnormalities (WMSA) volume (a measure of lesion burden) and diffusion tensor imaging scalar maps known to probe WM microstructure. A battery of neurocognitive/psychological tests was administered to assess the cognitive performance. Poor performers showed a higher slope for the positive association between WMSA volume and age compared to good performers. Even when controlling for WMSA volume, poor performers also evidenced lower fractional anisotropy, as well as positive associations with age with higher slopes of regression parameters in radial and axial diffusivity. Altogether results suggest that cognitive performance is related to differences in WM, with poor cognitive performers displaying signs of faster aging in WM.