Xin Wang , Jie Hu , Xiaosan Wu , Wei Wang , Xiaohui Xie , Shanshan Cao , Feng Geng , Panpan Hu , Yanghua Tian , Kai Wang , Jun Zhang
{"title":"白质高强度的皮层变薄和微结构完整性破坏。","authors":"Xin Wang , Jie Hu , Xiaosan Wu , Wei Wang , Xiaohui Xie , Shanshan Cao , Feng Geng , Panpan Hu , Yanghua Tian , Kai Wang , Jun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111525","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The relationships between white matter microstructure, cortical atrophy, and cognitive function in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD)-related white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) patients are unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>71 right-handed WMHs patients (mild, n = 23; moderate, n = 27; severe, n = 21) and 35 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) assessed microstructure via fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). Surface-based morphometry (SBM) measured morphology. Cognitive function was evaluated with a standardized scale. Multivariate regression, correlation, and mediation analyses were conducted.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Patients with moderate to severe WMHs exhibited impaired cognitive function, reduced FA, increased MD in extensive white matter, and decreased cortical thickness compared to HCs (P < 0.05). Cortical thinning was observed in the insula, superior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, pars opercularis, postcentral gyrus, pars triangularis, precentral gyrus, and anterior cingulate. Moreover, FA and MD were respectively significantly correlated with cortical thickness. Mediation analysis revealed cortical thinning in specific regions (e.g., left insula, supramarginal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus) mediated the association between FA (69 %) and MD (93 %) with Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) scores.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>WMHs patients exhibited white matter microstructure degeneration and reduced cortical thickness, both linked to cognitive decline. Specific left-hemisphere cortical thinning mediated the relationship between white matter microstructure and VFT performance, revealing mechanisms of WMHs-related cognitive decline.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9302,"journal":{"name":"Brain Research Bulletin","volume":"231 ","pages":"Article 111525"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Cortical thinning and microstructural integrity disruption in white matter hyperintensities\",\"authors\":\"Xin Wang , Jie Hu , Xiaosan Wu , Wei Wang , Xiaohui Xie , Shanshan Cao , Feng Geng , Panpan Hu , Yanghua Tian , Kai Wang , Jun Zhang\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.brainresbull.2025.111525\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The relationships between white matter microstructure, cortical atrophy, and cognitive function in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD)-related white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) patients are unclear.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>71 right-handed WMHs patients (mild, n = 23; moderate, n = 27; severe, n = 21) and 35 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) assessed microstructure via fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). Surface-based morphometry (SBM) measured morphology. Cognitive function was evaluated with a standardized scale. Multivariate regression, correlation, and mediation analyses were conducted.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Patients with moderate to severe WMHs exhibited impaired cognitive function, reduced FA, increased MD in extensive white matter, and decreased cortical thickness compared to HCs (P < 0.05). Cortical thinning was observed in the insula, superior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, pars opercularis, postcentral gyrus, pars triangularis, precentral gyrus, and anterior cingulate. Moreover, FA and MD were respectively significantly correlated with cortical thickness. Mediation analysis revealed cortical thinning in specific regions (e.g., left insula, supramarginal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus) mediated the association between FA (69 %) and MD (93 %) with Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) scores.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>WMHs patients exhibited white matter microstructure degeneration and reduced cortical thickness, both linked to cognitive decline. Specific left-hemisphere cortical thinning mediated the relationship between white matter microstructure and VFT performance, revealing mechanisms of WMHs-related cognitive decline.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":9302,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Brain Research Bulletin\",\"volume\":\"231 \",\"pages\":\"Article 111525\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":3.7000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-09-07\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Brain Research Bulletin\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"3\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923025003375\",\"RegionNum\":3,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q2\",\"JCRName\":\"NEUROSCIENCES\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Brain Research Bulletin","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361923025003375","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
Cortical thinning and microstructural integrity disruption in white matter hyperintensities
Background
The relationships between white matter microstructure, cortical atrophy, and cognitive function in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD)-related white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) patients are unclear.
Methods
71 right-handed WMHs patients (mild, n = 23; moderate, n = 27; severe, n = 21) and 35 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) assessed microstructure via fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). Surface-based morphometry (SBM) measured morphology. Cognitive function was evaluated with a standardized scale. Multivariate regression, correlation, and mediation analyses were conducted.
Results
Patients with moderate to severe WMHs exhibited impaired cognitive function, reduced FA, increased MD in extensive white matter, and decreased cortical thickness compared to HCs (P < 0.05). Cortical thinning was observed in the insula, superior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, pars opercularis, postcentral gyrus, pars triangularis, precentral gyrus, and anterior cingulate. Moreover, FA and MD were respectively significantly correlated with cortical thickness. Mediation analysis revealed cortical thinning in specific regions (e.g., left insula, supramarginal gyrus, transverse temporal gyrus) mediated the association between FA (69 %) and MD (93 %) with Verbal Fluency Test (VFT) scores.
Conclusion
WMHs patients exhibited white matter microstructure degeneration and reduced cortical thickness, both linked to cognitive decline. Specific left-hemisphere cortical thinning mediated the relationship between white matter microstructure and VFT performance, revealing mechanisms of WMHs-related cognitive decline.
期刊介绍:
The Brain Research Bulletin (BRB) aims to publish novel work that advances our knowledge of molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie neural network properties associated with behavior, cognition and other brain functions during neurodevelopment and in the adult. Although clinical research is out of the Journal''s scope, the BRB also aims to publish translation research that provides insight into biological mechanisms and processes associated with neurodegeneration mechanisms, neurological diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders. The Journal is especially interested in research using novel methodologies, such as optogenetics, multielectrode array recordings and life imaging in wild-type and genetically-modified animal models, with the goal to advance our understanding of how neurons, glia and networks function in vivo.