HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Read responses to this article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Artero, S Articles by Ritchie, K Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Artero, S Articles by Ritchie, K Related Collections Depression Psychogeriatrics Other Neurology Other imaging techniques

Neuroanatomical localisation and clinical correlates of white matter lesions in the elderly

¹ Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM EMI 0361, Epidemiology of Nervous System Pathologies, Montpellier, France
² Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Montpellier I, Montpellier
³ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr S Artero
INSERM, EMI 0361, Hôpital la Colombière, Pavillon 42, 39 avenue Charles Flahault, 34093 Montpellier cedex 5, France; artero{at}montp.inserm.fr

Background: White matter lesions (WML) in elderly people co-occur with hypertension, depression, and cognitive impairment. Little is known about the density and distribution of WML in normal elderly people, whether they occur randomly in the aging brain or tend to cluster in certain areas, or whether patterns of WML aggregation are linked to clinical symptoms.

Objectives: To describe patterns of WML distribution in a large representative population of elderly people using non-inferential cluster analysis; and to determine the extent to which such patterns are associated with clinical symptomatology.

Method: A population sample of 1077 elderly people was recruited. Multiple analysis of correspondence followed by automatic classification methods was used to explore overall patterns of WML distribution. Correspondence was then sought between these patterns and a range of cerebrovascular, psychiatric, and neurological symptoms.

Results: Three distinct patterns of spatial localisation within the brain were observed, corresponding to distinct clusters of clinical symptoms. In particular WML aggregation in temporal and occipital areas was associated with greater age, hypertension, late onset depressive disorder, poor global cognitive function, and overall WML frequency.

Conclusions: WML localisation is not random in the aging brain, and their distribution is associated with age and the presence of clinical symptoms. Age differences suggest there may be patterns of progression across time; however, this requires confirmation from longitudinal imaging studies.

Abbreviations: CESD, Center of Epidemiologic Studies depression scale; MCA, multiple correspondence analysis; MMSE, mini-mental state examination; WML, white matter lesion

Keywords: depression; elderly; white matter lesion

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Folstein, T. Liu, I. Peter, J. Buel, L. Arsenault, T. Scott, and W. W. Qiu The Homocysteine Hypothesis of Depression Am J Psychiatry, June 1, 2007; 164(6): 861 - 867. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Stenset, L. Johnsen, D. Kocot, A. Negaard, A. Skinningsrud, P. Gulbrandsen, A. Wallin, and T. Fladby Associations between white matter lesions, cerebrovascular risk factors, and low CSF Abeta42. Neurology, September 12, 2006; 67(5): 830 - 833. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. G. Munoz Leukoaraiosis and Ischemia: Beyond the Myth Stroke, June 1, 2006; 37(6): 1348 - 1349. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R Peters Ageing and the brain Postgrad. Med. J., February 1, 2006; 82(964): 84 - 88. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

eLetters: