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Chen Z, Liu W, Balu N, Chen L, Ortega D, Huang X, Hatsukami TS, Yang J, Yuan C. Associations of Intracranial Artery Length and Branch Number on Time-of-Flight MRA With Cognitive Impairment in Hypertensive Older Males. J Magn Reson Imaging 2024. [PMID: 38263621 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.29242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypertension-induced impairment of the cerebral artery network contributes to cognitive impairment. Characterizing the structure and function of cerebral arteries may facilitate the understanding of hypertension-related pathological mechanisms and lead to the development of new indicators for cognitive impairment. PURPOSE To investigate the associations between morphological features of the intracranial arteries distal to the circle of Willis on time-of-flight MRA (TOF-MRA) and cognitive performance in a hypertensive cohort. STUDY TYPE Prospective observational study. POPULATION 189 hypertensive older males (mean age 64.9 ± 7.2 years). FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE TOF-MRA sequence with a 3D spoiled gradient echo readout and arterial spin labeling perfusion imaging sequence with a 3D stack-of-spirals fast spin echo readout at 3T. ASSESSMENT The intracranial arteries were segmented from TOF-MRA and the total length of distal arteries (TLoDA) and number of arterial branches (NoB) were calculated. The mean gray matter cerebral blood flow (GM-CBF) was extracted from arterial spin labeling perfusion imaging. The cognitive level was assessed with short-term and long-term delay-recall auditory verbal learning test (AVLT) scores, and with montreal cognitive assessment. STATISTICAL TESTS Univariable and multivariable linear regression were used to analyze the associations between TLoDA, NoB, GM-CBF and the cognitive assessment scores, with P < 0.05 indicating significance. RESULTS TLoDA (r = 0.314) and NoB (r = 0.346) were significantly correlated with GM-CBF. Multivariable linear regression analyses showed that TLoDA and NoB, but not GM-CBF (P = 0.272 and 0.141), were significantly associated with short-term and long-term delay-recall AVLT scores. These associations remained significant after adjusting for GM-CBF. DATA CONCLUSION The TLoDA and NoB of distal intracranial arteries on TOF-MRA are significantly associated with cognitive impairment in hypertensive subjects. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhensen Chen
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- Vascular Imaging Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Wenjin Liu
- Department of Nephrology, Clinical Medical College, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
- Yangzhou Institute of Precision Medicine for Kidney Diseases, Yangzhou, China
| | - Niranjan Balu
- Vascular Imaging Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Li Chen
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Dakota Ortega
- Vascular Imaging Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Xiaoqin Huang
- Department of Nephrology, The First People's Hospital of Yancheng, Yancheng, China
| | - Thomas S Hatsukami
- Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Junwei Yang
- Center for Kidney Disease, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chun Yuan
- Vascular Imaging Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Cheng H, Teng J, Jia L, Xu L, Yang F, Li H, Ling C, Liu W, Li J, Li Y, Guo Z, Geng X, Guo J, Zhang D. Association between morphologic features of intracranial distal arteries and brain atrophy indexes in cerebral small vessel disease: a voxel-based morphometry study. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1198402. [PMID: 37396753 PMCID: PMC10313400 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1198402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Brain atrophy represents a final common pathway for pathological processes in patients with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and is now recognized as a strong independent predictor of clinical status and progression. The mechanism underlying brain atrophy in patients with CSVD is not yet fully comprehended. This study aims to investigate the association of morphologic features of intracranial distal arteries (A2, M2, P2 and more distal) with different brain structures [gray matter volume (GMV), white matter volume (WMV), and cerebrospinal fluid volume (CSFV)]. Furthermore, we also examined whether a correlation existed between these cerebrovascular characteristics and GMV in different brain regions. Method A total of 39 participants were eventually enrolled. The morphologic features of intracranial distal arteries based on TOF-MRA were extracted and quantified using the intracranial artery feature extraction technique (iCafe). The brain 3D-T1 images were segmented into gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using the "Segment" tool in CAT12 for the voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis. Univariable and multivariable linear regression models were used to investigate the relationship between these cerebrovascular features and different brain structures. Partial correlation analysis with a one-tailed method was used to evaluate the relationship between these cerebrovascular features and GMV in different brain regions. Results Our findings indicate that both distal artery length and density were positively correlated with GM fraction in CSVD patients, regardless of whether univariable or multivariable linear regression analyses were performed. In addition, distal artery length (β = -0.428, p = 0.007) and density (β = -0.337, p = 0.036) were also found to be negative associated with CSF fraction, although this relationship disappeared after adjusting for potential confounders. Additional adjustment for the effect of WMHs volume did not change these results. In subgroup anasysis, we found that participants in the highest distal artery length tertile had significantly higher GM fraction and lower CSF fraction level than participants in the lowest distal artery length tertile. In partial correlation analysis, we also found that these cerebrovascular characteristics associated with regional GMV, especially subcortical nuclear. Conclusion The morphologic features of intracranial distal arteries, including artery length, density and average tortuosity, measured from 3D-TOF MRA, are associated with generalized or focal atrophy indexes of CSVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongjiang Cheng
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Junfang Teng
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Longbin Jia
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Lina Xu
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Fengbing Yang
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Huimin Li
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Chen Ling
- Graduate School, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Jinna Li
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Yujuan Li
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Zixuan Guo
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Xia Geng
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Jiaying Guo
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Jincheng People’s Hospital, Jincheng, Shanxi, China
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