Spalletta Gianfranco, Iorio Mariangela, Vecchio Daniela, Piras Federica, Ciullo Valentina, Banaj Nerisa, Sensi Stefano L, Gianni Walter, Assogna Francesca, Caltagirone Carlo, Piras Fabrizio
Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Clinical and Behavioral Neurology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy.
Division of Neuropsychiatry, Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
J Pers Med. 2020 Oct 15;10(4):172. doi: 10.3390/jpm10040172.
White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are associated with brain aging and behavioral symptoms as a possible consequence of disrupted white matter pathways. In this study, we investigated, in a cohort of asymptomatic subjects aged 50 to 80, the relationship between WMH, hippocampal atrophy, and subtle, preclinical cognitive and neuropsychiatric phenomenology. Thirty healthy subjects with WMH (WMH+) and thirty individuals without (WMH-) underwent comprehensive neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric evaluations and 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan. The presence, degree of severity, and distribution of WMH were evaluated with a semi-automated algorithm. Volumetric analysis of hippocampal structure was performed through voxel-based morphometry. A multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that phenomenology of subclinical apathy and anxiety was associated with the presence of WMH. ROI-based analyses showed a volume reduction in the right hippocampus of WMH+. In healthy individuals, WMH are associated with significant preclinical neuropsychiatric phenomenology, as well as hippocampal atrophy, which are considered as risk factors to develop cognitive impairment and dementia.
白质高信号（WMH）与脑老化及行为症状相关，这可能是白质通路中断的结果。在本研究中，我们在一组年龄为50至80岁的无症状受试者中，调查了WMH、海马萎缩与细微的临床前认知及神经精神现象之间的关系。30名有WMH的健康受试者（WMH+）和30名无WMH的个体（WMH-）接受了全面的神经心理学和神经精神学评估以及3特斯拉磁共振成像扫描。使用半自动算法评估WMH的存在、严重程度和分布。通过基于体素的形态测量法对海马结构进行体积分析。多变量逻辑回归分析表明，亚临床冷漠和焦虑现象与WMH的存在有关。基于感兴趣区的分析显示WMH+组右侧海马体积减小。在健康个体中，WMH与显著的临床前神经精神现象以及海马萎缩相关，这些被认为是发生认知障碍和痴呆的危险因素。
