Differences in growth rates and spatial patterns of white matter hyperintensities between beta-amyloid burden and vascular risk

Sep 30, 2026

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Increasing evidence links white matter hyperintensities (WMH) with brain beta-amyloid deposition, yet WMH reflect multiple etiologies and distinct spatial topographies may map to vascular versus neurodegenerative pathology. This study investigated longitudinal WMH associations with beta-amyloid burden, emphasizing co-existent vascular risk factors and regional differences. WMH were quantified on MRI using TrUE-Net in ADNI, AIBL, and OASIS3 with harmonized centiloid PET measures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages3

Reading Time8 min

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Abstract

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DOI: 10. 1002/alz70856_106165 BIOMARKERS POSTER PRESENTATION NEUROIMAGING Differences in growth rates and spatial patterns of white matter hyperintensities between beta-amyloid burden and vascular risk Jeremy F. Strain1 Maryam Rahmani2 Jingqin Luo5 Christopher J. Owen6 Pierrick Bourgeat 10 Jurgen Fripp 10 Chia-Ling Phuah3 Donna Dierker4 Andrei G. Vlassenko6, 7, 8, 9 Hussain Jafri6 Liang Jin 11 Krista L. Moulder 12, 13 Tammie L.S. Benzinger7, 8, 14, 15 Chengjie Xiong 12, 13, 16 Jin-Moo Lee 16 Michael W Weiner 17 Colin L Masters 18 John C. Morris 14, 19, 20 Kyle B. Womack6 Manu S. Goyal 1, 7, 8 1Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA 2Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA 3 Dignity Health dba Barrow Neurological Institute/St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA 4Washington University School of Medic, St. Louis, MO, USA 5 Department of Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA 6Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA 7 Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA 8 Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, St. Louis, MO, USA 9 Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, St. Louis, MO, USA 10The Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Brisbane, QLD, Australia 11 Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia 12The Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, St. Louis, MO, USA 13 Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, St. Louis, MO, USA Abstract Background: There is increasing evidence for an association between white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and brain beta-amyloid deposition. WMH are not exclusive correlates of a single etiology, and the spatial topography can associate with different pathologic markers of vascular or neurodegenerative disease. How WMHare longitudinally associated with brain beta-amyloid burden requires further investigation, particularly with respect to co-existent vascular risk factors and differences across brain regions. Method: We retrospectively measured WMH on MRI and vascular risk factors in a combined neuroimaging data set comprised of the ADNI, AIBL and OASIS3 studies, which included harmonized centiloid estimates of beta-amyloid burden from PET imaging. WMH were measured using the TrUE-Net algorithm. Vascular risk factors were extracted from provided clinical data and used to calculate individual revised Framingham Stroke Risk Profile (FSRP) scores. Five established data-driven WM regions (juxtacortical, deep frontal, periventricular, parietal, posterior) were used for regional relationships with WMH volume and growth. Linear mixed effects modelling was used to determine the relationship between the growth rate of normalized regional WMH volumes and baseline beta-amyloid burden, controlling for age, sex, APOE4 status, and vascular risk factors. Result: 1245 participants [48.7% female, mean age 71.7 y (SD 7.6 y)] had at least 3 brain MRIs suitablefor WMH volume measurement. Linear mixed models demonstrate This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2025 The Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer’s Association. Alzheimer’s Dement. 2025;21(Suppl. 2):e106165. [https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_106165](https://doi.org/10.1002/alz70856_106165) wi[leyonlinelibrary.com/journal/alz](leyonlinelibrary.com/journal/alz) 1of3 BIOMARKERS 14 Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA 15Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA 16Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA 17 University

FAQs

What relationship between WMH and beta-amyloid was tested in this study?

The study examined how WMH are longitudinally associated with brain beta-amyloid burden, while also considering co-existent vascular risk factors and brain-region differences.

How were WMH and vascular risk measured?

WMH were measured on MRI using the TrUE-Net algorithm. Vascular risk factors from clinical data were used to calculate revised Framingham Stroke Risk Profile (FSRP) scores.

What did the regional and longitudinal results show?

Cross-sectionally, both beta-amyloid burden and FSRP related to several WMH regions, while the parietal region was unique to beta-amyloid. Longitudinally, beta-amyloid persistence was limited to parietal WMH, with no regionally specific longitudinal association for FSRP.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Finn