PURPOSE OF REVIEW: White matter hyperintensities on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging are frequent incidental findings in the brains of elderly individuals. Recent studies have reported that they may also be common in middle-aged individuals, and their systematic evaluation in younger populations is necessary. RECENT FINDINGS: Incidental white matter hyperintensities are common in brains of healthy individuals in their 60s and may be seen as early as the 30s and 40s. They are associated with subtle functional impairment and higher prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders. While cerebrovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, high homocysteine, and so forth, are known risk factors for white matter hyperintensities, a significant proportion of the variance is unexplained. Genetic factors, alone or in interaction with environmental factors, appear to be important. There is a slight excess of white matter hyperintensities in women, the basis for which is not understood. Longitudinal studies show that those with baseline lesions have a greater progression over time. SUMMARY: New imaging techniques present an opportunity to examine white matter pathology in great detail in younger populations. Standardized methods to examine such pathology and its determinants will help inform strategies for their prevention, which is an important component of a healthy ageing agenda.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: White matter hyperintensities on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging are frequent incidental findings in the brains of elderly individuals. Recent studies have reported that they may also be common in middle-aged individuals, and their systematic evaluation in younger populations is necessary. RECENT FINDINGS: Incidental white matter hyperintensities are common in brains of healthy individuals in their 60s and may be seen as early as the 30s and 40s. They are associated with subtle functional impairment and higher prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders. While cerebrovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, high homocysteine, and so forth, are known risk factors for white matter hyperintensities, a significant proportion of the variance is unexplained. Genetic factors, alone or in interaction with environmental factors, appear to be important. There is a slight excess of white matter hyperintensities in women, the basis for which is not understood. Longitudinal studies show that those with baseline lesions have a greater progression over time. SUMMARY: New imaging techniques present an opportunity to examine white matter pathology in great detail in younger populations. Standardized methods to examine such pathology and its determinants will help inform strategies for their prevention, which is an important component of a healthy ageing agenda.
Authors: Lisa D Hankee; Sarah R Preis; Alexa S Beiser; Sherral A Devine; Yulin Liu; Sudha Seshadri; Philip A Wolf; Rhoda Au Journal: Exp Aging Res Date: 2013 Impact factor: 1.645
Authors: M C Valdés Hernández; R J Piper; M E Bastin; N A Royle; S Muñoz Maniega; B S Aribisala; C Murray; I J Deary; J M Wardlaw Journal: AJNR Am J Neuroradiol Date: 2013-06-27 Impact factor: 3.825
Authors: Malte Lenders; Thomas Duning; Michael Schelleckes; Boris Schmitz; Sonja Stander; Arndt Rolfs; Stefan-Martin Brand; Eva Brand Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-02-05 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Nicola J Armstrong; Karen A Mather; Muralidharan Sargurupremraj; Maria J Knol; Rainer Malik; Claudia L Satizabal; Lisa R Yanek; Wei Wen; Vilmundur G Gudnason; Nicole D Dueker; Lloyd T Elliott; Edith Hofer; Joshua Bis; Neda Jahanshad; Shuo Li; Mark A Logue; Michelle Luciano; Markus Scholz; Albert V Smith; Stella Trompet; Dina Vojinovic; Rui Xia; Fidel Alfaro-Almagro; David Ames; Najaf Amin; Philippe Amouyel; Alexa S Beiser; Henry Brodaty; Ian J Deary; Christine Fennema-Notestine; Piyush G Gampawar; Rebecca Gottesman; Ludovica Griffanti; Clifford R Jack; Mark Jenkinson; Jiyang Jiang; Brian G Kral; John B Kwok; Leonie Lampe; David C M Liewald; Pauline Maillard; Jonathan Marchini; Mark E Bastin; Bernard Mazoyer; Lukas Pirpamer; José Rafael Romero; Gennady V Roshchupkin; Peter R Schofield; Matthias L Schroeter; David J Stott; Anbupalam Thalamuthu; Julian Trollor; Christophe Tzourio; Jeroen van der Grond; Meike W Vernooij; Veronica A Witte; Margaret J Wright; Qiong Yang; Zoe Morris; Siggi Siggurdsson; Bruce Psaty; Arno Villringer; Helena Schmidt; Asta K Haberg; Cornelia M van Duijn; J Wouter Jukema; Martin Dichgans; Ralph L Sacco; Clinton B Wright; William S Kremen; Lewis C Becker; Paul M Thompson; Thomas H Mosley; Joanna M Wardlaw; M Arfan Ikram; Hieab H H Adams; Sudha Seshadri; Perminder S Sachdev; Stephen M Smith; Lenore Launer; William Longstreth; Charles DeCarli; Reinhold Schmidt; Myriam Fornage; Stephanie Debette; Paul A Nyquist Journal: Stroke Date: 2020-06-10 Impact factor: 7.914