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White matter hyperintensities are associated with grey matter atrophy and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia
Dadar M, Manera AL, Ducharme S, Collins DL.. Neurobiology of aging, 2021-12-03
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are commonly assumed to represent non-specific cerebrovascular disease comorbid to neurodegenerative processes, rather than playing a synergistic role. We compared the impact of WMHs on grey matter (GM) atrophy and cognition in normal aging (n = 571), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 551), Alzheimer's dementia (AD, n = 212), fronto-temporal dementia (FTD, n = 125), and Parkinson's disease (PD, n = 271). Longitudinal data were obtained from ADNI, FTLDNI, and PPMI datasets.
Key findings
- We compared the impact of WMHs on grey matter (GM) atrophy and cognition in normal aging (n = 571), mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 551), Alzheimer's dementia (AD, n = 212), fronto-temporal dementia (FTD, n = 125), and Parkinson's disease (PD, n = 271).
- Longitudinal data were obtained from ADNI, FTLDNI, and PPMI datasets.
- Mixed-effects models were used to compare WMHs and GM atrophy between patients and controls and assess the impact of WMHs on GM atrophy and cognition.
- MCI, AD, and FTD patients had significantly higher WMH loads than controls.
Why it matters
This longitudinal study compared how white matter hyperintensities relate to grey matter atrophy and cognitive decline in normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Parkinson's disease. It is observational, so it cannot show that reducing white matter hyperintensities would slow or prevent dementia.
Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants571
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 61/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Neurobiology of aging) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Neurobiology of Aging: journal h-index 263 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| 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 | 3 / 5 | 2022 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 571 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 | 4 / 7 | Cited 79 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.2 citations a year over 6 year(s) since 2022 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 6.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 7 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 57 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author D. Louis Collins: h-index 109 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | McGill University: institution h-index 1,373 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 34968832) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 61 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.11.007
- PubMed: 34968832
- Original source →
- Free full text: eScholarship@McGill (McGill) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Dadar, M., Manera, A. L., Ducharme, S., & Collins, D. L. (2022). White matter hyperintensities are associated with grey matter atrophy and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Neurobiology of aging. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.11.007
Vancouver
Dadar M, Manera AL, Ducharme S, Collins DL. White matter hyperintensities are associated with grey matter atrophy and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Neurobiology of aging. 2022. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.11.007. PMID: 34968832.
BibTeX
@article{dadar2022-34968832,
author = {Dadar, M. and Manera, A. L. and Ducharme, S. and Collins, D. L.},
title = {{White matter hyperintensities are associated with grey matter atrophy and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia}},
journal = {Neurobiology of aging},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.11.007},
pmid = {34968832},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.11.007}
}
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