Leveraging longitudinal diffusion MRI data to quantify differences in white matter microstructural decline in normal and abnormal aging

Abstract

Introduction: It is unclear how rates of white matter microstructural decline differ between normal aging and abnormal aging.

Methods: Diffusion MRI data from several well-established longitudinal cohorts of aging [Alzheimer's Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), Vanderbilt Memory & Aging Project (VMAP)] was free-water corrected and harmonized. This dataset included 1,723 participants (age at baseline: 72.8±8.87 years, 49.5% male) and 4,605 imaging sessions (follow-up time: 2.97±2.09 years, follow-up range: 1-13 years, mean number of visits: 4.42±1.98). Differences in white matter microstructural decline in normal and abnormal agers was assessed.

Results: While we found global decline in white matter in normal/abnormal aging, we found that several white matter tracts (e.g., cingulum bundle) were vulnerable to abnormal aging.

Conclusions: There is a prevalent role of white matter microstructural decline in aging, and future large-scale studies in this area may further refine our understanding of the underlying neurodegenerative processes.

Highlights: Longitudinal data was free-water corrected and harmonizedGlobal effects of white matter decline were seen in normal and abnormal agingThe free-water metric was most vulnerable to abnormal agingCingulum free-water was the most vulnerable to abnormal aging.

Description
item.page.description.tableofcontents
item.page.relation.haspart
Cite As
Archer DB, Schilling K, Shashikumar N, et al. Leveraging longitudinal diffusion MRI data to quantify differences in white matter microstructural decline in normal and abnormal aging. Preprint. bioRxiv. 2023;2023.05.17.541182. Published 2023 May 18. doi:10.1101/2023.05.17.541182
ISSN
Publisher
Series/Report
Sponsorship
Major
Extent
Identifier
Relation
Journal
Source
PMC
Alternative Title
Type
Article
Number
Volume
Conference Dates
Conference Host
Conference Location
Conference Name
Conference Panel
Conference Secretariat Location
Version
Pre-Print
Full Text Available at
This item is under embargo {{howLong}}