论文部分内容阅读
Background and purpose:Previous voxel-based morphometric studies suggesting regional distribution of cortical atrophy in the middle-aged subjects with white matter hyperintense(WMH)lesions.But few studies have assessed cortical thickness in middle-aged WMH subjects.Here,we aimed to examine the WMH lesion loads associated cortical thickness in middle-aged subjects.Participants and methods: Thirty-six middle-aged subjects with WMH lesions(WMH group)and 34 demographically matched healthy control subjects(HCS group)participated in the study.Cortical thickness was estimated as the distance between the gray–white matter border and the pial surface using an automated computational anatomy toolbox(CAT12).Statistical cortical maps were created to estimate differences of cortical thickness between groups based on this entire cortex analysis.Results: Significant cortical thinning was observed in the WMH group relative to controls in the multimodal integration regions,including the right and left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex(dACC),right and left frontal operculum(fO),left and right operculum parietale(OP),the right and left middle temporal gyrus(MTG),right and left superior temporal gyrus(STG)and left anterior insula(AI); in the recognition regions that contained the left fusiform gyrus; and in the primary motor region(right precentral gyrus,PrCG).The results also revealed greater cortical thickness in the left Superior parietal lobule(SPL)in the WMH group than the HCS group.Negative correlation was also found between cortical thickness and WMH lesion loads in the right MFC(Orb),right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC),right subcallosal cortex.Conclusion: In middle-aged WMH subjects,the mainly findings suggest a reduction of cortical thickness mostly in the regions of multimodal integration,recognition-and motor-related regions; in the meanwhile,the present morphometric data also provide further evidence for WMH-associated structural plasticity.