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White matter hyperintensities and their impact in brain structure and function in alzheimer’s disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia across Latin America and the United States: a cross-sectional study
Florencia Altschuler, Verónica Canziani, Matias E Fraile-Vazquez, Raúl González-Gómez, Hernán Guillermo Hernández, Sandra Báez, Joaquín Migeot, Sol Fittipaldi et al.. Alzheimer s Research & Therapy, 2025-08-12
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
In the LA cohort only, higher WMHs load was associated with greater GM atrophy across all groups (HCs, AD, bvFTD), with a specific neurodegenerative pattern involving orbitofrontal, cingulate, and temporal areas. HCs from LA showed a greater WMHs load than their US counterparts, and this effect was dependent on GM atrophy. Finally, WMHs burden negatively impacted cognitive performance in dementia subjects, with a greater effect observed in bvFTD subjects from the US. WMHs have a more pronounced impact on neurodegeneration across the LA cohort, with a worse impact on HCs, which also show higher WMHs burden than their US counterparts. This could increase the risk of developing dementia. Moreover, WMHs burden differentially impacts cognition, with a greater negative effect observed in bvFTD subjects from the US. These findings highlight geographic variations in WMHs-related conditions, offering valuable insights for tailored future research.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Altschuler, F., Canziani, V., Fraile-Vazquez, M. E., González-Gómez, R., Hernández, H. G., Báez, S., et al. (2025). White matter hyperintensities and their impact in brain structure and function in alzheimer’s disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia across Latin America and the United States: a cross-sectional study. Alzheimer s Research & Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-025-01832-5
Vancouver
Altschuler F, Canziani V, Fraile-Vazquez ME, González-Gómez R, Hernández HG, Báez S, et al. White matter hyperintensities and their impact in brain structure and function in alzheimer’s disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia across Latin America and the United States: a cross-sectional study. Alzheimer s Research & Therapy. 2025. doi:10.1186/s13195-025-01832-5. PMID: 40797280.
BibTeX
@article{altschuler2025-40797280,
author = {Altschuler, Florencia and Canziani, Verónica and Fraile-Vazquez, Matias E and González-Gómez, Raúl and Hernández, Hernán Guillermo and Báez, Sandra and Migeot, Joaquín and Fittipaldi, Sol and others},
title = {{White matter hyperintensities and their impact in brain structure and function in alzheimer’s disease and behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia across Latin America and the United States: a cross-sectional study}},
journal = {Alzheimer s Research \& Therapy},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1186/s13195-025-01832-5},
pmid = {40797280},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-025-01832-5}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- In the LA cohort only, higher WMHs load was associated with greater GM atrophy across all groups (HCs, AD, bvFTD), with a specific neurodegenerative pattern involving orbitofrontal, cingulate, and temporal areas.
- HCs from LA showed a greater WMHs load than their US counterparts, and this effect was dependent on GM atrophy.
- Finally, WMHs burden negatively impacted cognitive performance in dementia subjects, with a greater effect observed in bvFTD subjects from the US.
- WMHs have a more pronounced impact on neurodegeneration across the LA cohort, with a worse impact on HCs, which also show higher WMHs burden than their US counterparts.
- This could increase the risk of developing dementia.
Why it matters
In the Latin American cohort, higher white matter hyperintensities load was associated with greater gray matter atrophy across all groups, and healthy controls from Latin America showed a greater white matter hyperintensities load than their US counterparts. The study is about geographic variations in white matter hyperintensities and their impact on brain structure and function, not about treating, curing, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants402
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s Research & Therapy) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Alzheimer s Research & Therapy: journal h-index 146 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 402 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Cecilia González Campo: h-index 16 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 31 institution(s) in 8 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40797280) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1186/s13195-025-01832-5
- PubMed: 40797280
- Original source →
- Free full text: Alzheimer s Research & Therapy →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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