White Matter Free Water Outperforms Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Total Score in Predicting Cognitive Decline in Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment
Affiliations: [a] Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, China
| [b] Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding authors: Peiyu Huang, MD, PhD, Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.88 Jiefang Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, 310009, China. Tel.: +86 0571 87315255; Fax: +86 0571 87315255; E-mail: huangpy@zju.edu.cn and Yunjun Yang, MD, PhD, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Nanbaixiang street, Ouhai District, Wenzhou, 325000, China. Tel.: +86 0577 55579667; Fax: +86 0577 55579667; E-mail: yyjunjim@163.com.
Note: [1] Data used in preparation of this article were obtained from the Alzheimer’s disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data-base (https://www.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: Vascular pathology is an important partner of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Both total cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) score and white matter free water (FW) are useful markers that could reflect cerebral vascular injury. Objective: We aim to investigate the efficacy of these two metrics in predicting cognitive declines in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: We enrolled 126 MCI subjects with 3D T1-weighted images, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images, T2* images, diffusion tensor imaging images, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers and neuropsychological tests from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database. The total CSVD score and FW values were calculated. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were applied to explore the association between vascular and cognitive impairments. Linear mixed effect models were constructed to investigate the efficacy of total CSVD score and FW on predicting cognitive decline. Results: FW was associated with baseline cognition and could predict the decline of executive and language functions in MCI subjects, while no association was found between total CSVD score and cognitive declines. Conclusion: FW is a promising imaging marker for investigating the effect of CSVD on AD progression.
