Characterizing spatiotemporal white matter hyperintensity pathophysiology in vivo to disentangle vascular and neurodegenerative contributions.

ABSTRACT: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are neuroimaging markers widely interpreted as caused by cerebral small vessel disease, yet emerging evidence suggests that a subset may have a neurodegenerative etiology. Current imaging methods have lacked the specificity to disentangle biological processes underlying WMHs in vivo. Here, we used voxel-level normative modeling and seven microstructural MRI markers with complementary biophysical sensitivities to generate single-subject high-resolution WMH pathophysiology maps in a large cohort (n=32,526). We calculated data-driven spatial patterns of similar WMHs, revealing distinct periventricular, posterior, and anterior clusters. We identified a reproducible WMH signature linked to dementia and Alzheimer's disease, characterized by a po

SUBMITTER: Parent O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12204449 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature