The impact of amyloid beta burden on white matter dysfunction and associated transcriptomic signatures in cognitively normal elderly individuals.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Amyloid beta (Aβ), a hallmark of early Alzheimer's disease (AD), disrupts white matter (WM) microstructure, but its spatial patterns and transcriptomic links in cognitively normal individuals remain underexplored.

Methods

We compared the WM microstructure between Aβ-positive (Aβ+) and Aβ-negative (Aβ-) individuals at the cognitively normal stage. We investigated the relationship between the fibers and the cortical and subcortical regions to which they are connected, as well as the underlying gene expression.

Results

WM damage observed in Aβ+ individuals was characterized across eight fiber tracts, even prior to the evidence of atrophy and during the cognitive normal stage. This damage is primarily associated with cortical Aβ accumulation and may be linked

SUBMITTER: Li Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12522070 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature