White Matter Hyperintensities in Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer Disease

What contributes more to white matter hyperintensities in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer disease: vascular risk factors or the neurodegenerative process?

White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on brain MRI may contribute to cognitive difficulties. In this cross-sectional study, researchers investigated whether disease severity, cortical thinning, and reduced cognition were associated with WMHs in 64 patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), 65 with Alzheimer disease (AD), and 66 controls. Vascular risk was dichotomized based on lifetime histories of hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, and smoking. A subset of participants underwent disease-specific genetic screening and neuropathologic assessment.

The bvFTD group had greater disease severity than the AD group and larger WMH volumes than both the AD and control groups. Both the bvFTD and AD groups performed…

Reviewing Author

Jennifer Rose V. Molano, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Center for Advancing Translational Science – Cincinnati Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training

Editorial BoardsBrain & Life

Jennifer Rose V. Molano, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Center for Advancing Translational Science – Cincinnati Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training

Editorial BoardsBrain & Life

White Matter Hyperintensities in Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer Disease

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Reviewing Author