What causes periventricular white matter disease?

Major causes of periventricular white matter (PWM) lesions include normal changes from aging (then they are called UBO’s, for “unidentified bright objects), small strokes, and disorders related to multiple sclerosis (MS). PWM are also correlated with vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) deficiency.

Is white matter disease degenerative?

White matter disease, or leukoaraiosis, involves the degeneration of white matter in the brain. White matter is tissue that includes nerve fibers (axons), which connect nerve cells.

What is deep white matter ischemia?

Conclusions Deep white matter hyperintensities are more frequently due to cerebral ischemia, and such ischemic lesions are more frequently located at the level of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in depressed subjects. Our findings strongly support the “vascular depression” hypothesis of late-life depression.

What is white matter disease?

White matter disease is the wearing away of tissue in the largest and deepest part of your brain that has a number of causes, including aging. This tissue contains millions of nerve fibers, or axons, that connect other parts of the brain and spinal cord and signal your nerves to talk to one another.

What is a T2 signal in the brain?

T2 (transverse relaxation time) is the time constant which determines the rate at which excited protons reach equilibrium or go out of phase with each other. It is a measure of the time taken for spinning protons to lose phase coherence among the nuclei spinning perpendicular to the main field. MRI IMAGING SEQUENCES.

Is mild white matter disease normal?

Originally, white matter disease was considered a normal, age-related change. But over the last decade, medical experts have come to understand that the presence of large areas of disease in the white matter of the brain are associated with cognitive decline and dementia in patients.

What is microvascular ischemic disease?

Microvascular ischemic disease is a term that’s used to describe changes to the small blood vessels in the brain. Changes to these vessels can damage white matter — the brain tissue that contains nerve fibers and serves as the connection point to other parts of the brain.

What is T2 signal on MRI?

What are the symptoms of mild microvascular ischemic disease?

Symptoms Microvascular ischemic disease can be mild, moderate, or severe. Many older adults — especially those with a mild form of the disease — have no symptoms, even though there are areas of damage in the brain. This is called “silent” disease.

What are small-vessel ischemic changes in the cerebral white matter?

Small-vessel ischemic changes within the deep cerebral white matter are seen with such frequency in middle age (>50 years) that they are considered a normal part of aging. This represents an arteriosclerotic vasculopathy of the penetrating cerebral arteries.

What is cerebral small vessel disease (SVD)?

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is an umbrella term covering a variety of abnormalities related to small blood vessels in the brain. Because most brain tissue appears white on MRIs, these abnormalities were historically referred to as “white matter changes.”

What is the pathophysiology of white matter atrophy (WML)?

Structural lesions in the white matter may cause symptoms because of disruption of fiber tracts. The more superficial or subcortical WML may disrupt the functional connectivity of association fibers that convey cortico-cortical connections.