Accelerated decline in white matter microstructure in subsequently impaired older adults and its relationship with cognitive decline

Shafer and Williams et al. report that diffusion tensor imaging can detect faster rates of regionally specific white matter degeneration before symptoms of mild cognitive impairment/dementia are present. Rates of change in these regions are associated with faster cognitive decline. Diffusion tensor imaging provides a powerful indicator of future risk of developing mild cognitive impairment/dementia. Little is known about a longitudinal decline in white matter microstructure and its associations with cognition in preclinical dementia. Longitudinal diffusion tensor imaging and neuropsychological testing were performed in 50 older adults who subsequently developed mild cognitive impairment or dementia (subsequently impaired) and 200 cognitively normal controls. Rates of white matter microstructural decline were compared between groups using voxel-wise linear mixed-effects models. Associations between change in white matter microstructure and cognition were examined. Subsequently impaired individuals had a faster decline in fractional anisotropy in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and bilateral splenium of the corpus callosum. A decline in right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus fractional anisotropy was related to a decline in verbal memory, visuospatial ability, processing speed and mini-mental state examination. A decline in bilateral splenium fractional anisotropy was related to a decline in verbal fluency, processing speed and mini-mental state examination. Accelerated regional white matter microstructural decline is evident during the preclinical phase of mild cognitive impairment/dementia and is related to domain-specific cognitive decline.

Automated summary

Shafer and Williams et al. found that diffusion tensor imaging can detect faster rates of regionally specific white matter degeneration before symptoms of mild cognitive impairment/dementia are present. This degeneration is associated with faster cognitive decline. Diffusion tensor imaging is a powerful indicator of future risk of developing mild cognitive impairment/dementia.