Jinsoo Uh1, Uma Yezhuvath1, Yamei
Cheng1, Hanzhang Lu1
1Advanced Imaging Research Center,
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
We
characterized multiple domains of vascular changes in leukoaraiosis using in
vivo MR techniques. Compared to NAWM, CBF in leukoaraiosis regions was 38%
lower (p=0.01) and CVR was 48% lower (p=0.005). Significant BBB leakage was
also detected (p=0.04). Quantitative analysis revealed that the extent of BBB
leakage was positively correlated with apparent diffusion coefficient. In
addition, the total area of leukoaraiosis in the brain is correlated with the
CVR in NAWM. This study shows that the vascular changes in leukoaraiosis
include both an ischemic and a toxicity component, suggesting a central role
of vascular endothelium in the formation of leukoaraiosis.
Keywords