The association between white matter hyperintensities and executive decline in mild cognitive impairment is network dependent

Heidi I. L. Jacobs, Pieter Jelle Visser, Martin P. J. Van Boxtel, Giovanni B. Frisoni, Magda Tsolaki, Panagiota Papapostolou, Flavio Nobili, Lars-Olof Wahlund, Lennart Minthon, Lutz Frolich, Harald Hampel, Hilkka Soininen, Laura van de Pol, Philip Scheltens, Frans E. S. Tan, Jelle Jolles, Frans R. J. Verhey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) have been associated with impaired executive functioning, although contradictory findings have been reported. The aim of this study was to examine whether WMH location influenced the relation between WMH and executive functioning in MCI participants (55-90 years) in the European multicenter memory-clinic-based DESCRIPA study, who underwent MRI scanning at baseline (N = 337). Linear mixed model analysis was performed to test the association between WMH damage in three networks (frontal-parietal, frontal-subcortical and frontal-parietal-subcortical network) and change in executive functioning over a 3-year period. WMH in the frontal-parietal and in the frontal-parietal-subcortical network were associated with decline in executive functioning. However, the frontal-subcortical network was not associated with change in executive functioning. Our results suggest that parietal WMH are a significant contributor to executive decline in MCI and that investigation of WMH in the cerebral networks supporting cognitive functions provide a new way to differentiate stable from cognitive declining MCI individuals. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)201.e1-201.e8
JournalNeurobiology of Aging
Volume33
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Neurology

Free keywords

  • Mild cognitive impairment
  • White matter hyperintensities
  • Executive
  • function
  • Frontoparietal circuit

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