Affiliations:
Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: Dr. Peiyu Huang, and Dr. Jianzhong Sun, Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.88 Jiefang Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, 310009, China, Phone: +86 0571 87315255; Fax: +86 0571 87315255; E-mails: huangpy@zju.edu.cn (Peiyu Huang); and 2191009@zju.edu.cn (Jianzhong Sun).
Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.
Note: [2] Data used in preparation of this article were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (http://adni.loni.usc.edu). As such, the investigators within the ADNI contributed to the design and implementation of ADNI and/or provided data but did not participate in analysis or writing of this report. A complete listing of ADNI investigators can be found at: https://adni.loni.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/how_to_apply/ADNI_Acknowledgement_List.pdf
Abstract: Background:The inferior frontal sulci are essential sites on the route of cerebrospinal fluid outflow. A recent study suggests that inferior frontal sulcal hyperintensities (IFSH) on FLAIR images might be related to glymphatic dysfunction. Objective:To investigate whether IFSH is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology and cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) burden. Methods:We retrospectively collected data from 272 non-demented subjects in the ADNI3 database. The IFSH was assessed on 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. The standardized uptake value ratios of amyloid and tau PET were used to reflect the AD pathology burden. To measure the SVD burden, we assessed white matter hyperintensities (WMH), dilation of perivascular spaces, microbleeds, and lacunes. Finally, we performed ordinal logistic regression analyses to investigate the associations between the IFSH score and AD pathology and SVD burden. Results:The IFSH score was associated with the deep WMH score (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.24 – 2.59) controlling for age and sex. The association remained significant in the multivariable regression models. There was no association between the IFSH score and AD pathology burden. Conclusion:This study suggests that the IFSH sign is associated with SVD but not AD pathology. Further studies are needed to confirm the findings.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, inferior frontal sulcal hyperintensity, magnetic resonance imaging, small vessel disease, white matter hyperintensities
