White matter hyperintensities drive propagating grey matter atrophy in cerebral small vessel disease.

ABSTRACT: WMH, a neuroimaging marker of cerebral small vessel disease, is closely associated with cognitive decline and structural brain changes. However, the precise mechanisms through which WMH-associated GMV changes ultimately translate to cognitive decline remain unclear, particularly regarding propagation patterns and causal interactions within affected neural circuits. To investigate the progressive structural changes in WMH patients based on disease severity, we recruited 185 patients with cerebral small vessel disease and 40 healthy controls, who underwent magnetic resonance imaging scans. First, voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed to compare GMV differences between WMH patients and healthy controls, followed by subgroup analyses across different disease stages to identify key reg

SUBMITTER: Mu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12609173 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature