Hum brain map. 2022 Apr 15. doi: 10.1002/hbm.25876. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are hallmarks of small vessel disease of the brain, but the effects on the brain have not been well characterized in midlife. Here, we investigated whether WMH volume is associated with brain network alterations in middle-aged adults. Two hundred fifty-four participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study were selected and stratified by WMH load into Lo-WMH (mean age = 50 ± 3.5 years) and Hi-WMH (mean age = 51 ± 3.7 years) groups of equal size. We constructed group-level covariance networks based on cerebral blood flow (CBF) and gray matter volume (GMV) maps in 74 gray matter regions. Using consensus clustering, we found that the CBF and GMV covariance networks split into broadly consistent modules across groups. Then, CBF and GMV covariance network topologies were compared between Lo- and Hi-WMH groups at global (clustering coefficient, characteristic path length, global efficiency) and regional (degree, intermediate centrality, local efficiency) levels. . At the global level, there were no group differences in the CBF or GMV covariance networks. In contrast, we found differences between groups in the regional degree, intermediate centrality, and local efficacy of several brain regions in the CBF and GMV covariance networks. Overall, CBF and GMV covariance analyzes provide evidence that WMH-related network alterations are present at midlife.

PMID:35429100 | DO I:10.1002/hbm.25876