Mendez Colmenares Andrea, Prytherch Ben, Thomas Michael L, Burzynska Agnieszka Z
Department of Human Development and Family Studies/Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Neurosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
Imaging Neurosci (Camb). 2023 Dec 14;1. doi: 10.1162/imag_a_00045. eCollection 2023.
This meta-analysis and systematic review synthesized data from 30 longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies on the magnitude, direction, spatial patterns, and modifiers of naturally occurring within-person changes in healthy adult white matter (WM) microstructure. Results revealed: (1) significant within-person declines in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the whole WM ( = -0.12), genu ( = -0.16), and splenium ( = -0.13); (2) greater declines in FA associated with older age, longer follow-up times, and female sex; (3) a possible yet inconclusive vulnerability of late-myelinating WM (the "development-to-degeneration" gradient); and (4) factors decelerating (e.g., physical activity and social activities) and accelerating (e.g., vascular risk factors, biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease, and alcohol consumption) age-related FA changes. Our findings encourage the consideration of WM as a new target for treatments and interventions against cognitive decline and lay the foundation for studying the plastic and regenerative potential of adult WM in clinical trials. Individual differences in WM changes could aid in the preclinical diagnosis of dementia, opening a window for earlier, more effective treatments.
这项荟萃分析和系统评价综合了30项纵向扩散张量成像（DTI）研究的数据，这些研究涉及健康成年白质（WM）微观结构中自然发生的个体内部变化的幅度、方向、空间模式和调节因素。结果显示：（1）全脑白质（=-0.12）、胼胝体膝部（=-0.16）和压部（=-0.13）的各向异性分数（FA）出现显著的个体内部下降；（2）FA下降幅度更大与年龄较大、随访时间较长和女性性别有关；（3）晚期髓鞘形成白质存在可能但尚无定论的易损性（“从发育到退化”梯度）；（4）减缓（如体育活动和社交活动）和加速（如血管危险因素、阿尔茨海默病生物标志物和饮酒）与年龄相关的FA变化的因素。我们的研究结果鼓励将白质视为对抗认知衰退的治疗和干预新靶点，并为在临床试验中研究成年白质的可塑性和再生潜力奠定基础。白质变化的个体差异有助于痴呆的临床前诊断，为更早、更有效的治疗打开一扇窗。
