Cerebral blood flow alterations measured with MRI-ASL as a predictor of vascular dementia in small vessel ischemic disease
Abstract
Background
Cerebral small vessel ischemic disease (SVHD), a common age-related morbidity, is the key mechanism of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). This study uses cerebral blood flow (CBF) measured by pseudocontinuous ASL-MRI in patients with SVHD with and without cognitive impairment to differentiate VCI from normal aging.
Materials and methods
In this cross-sectional study, 74 patients with PVD, including 35 with diagnosed VCI and 39 without cognitive impairment (control), underwent resting-state pCASL-MRI. ROI-based preprocessing, denoising techniques, and correction for partial volume effects were performed. Regional CBF was compared between patients with severe cognitive impairment (SCI), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and PVD without cognitive impairment.
Results
Total and regional FSC values in the thalamus…