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White Matter Disease as a Biomarker for Long-Term Cerebrovascular Disease and Dementia

  • Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke (D Greer, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Opinion statement

White matter disease is commonly detected on brain MRI of aging individuals as white matter hyperintensities (WMH), or ‘leukoaraiosis.” Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that the presence and extent of WMH is a radiographic marker of small cerebral vessel disease and an important predictor of the lifelong risk of stroke, cognitive impairment, and functional disability. A number of large population-based studies have outlined the significance of WMH as a biomarker for long-term cerebrovascular disease and dementia. In this review, we describe the conceptual framework and methodology that support this association and link the existing knowledge to future lines of investigation in the field.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Chutinet reports no disclosure.

Dr. Rost is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (K23 NS064052 and R01 NS082285).

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Chulalongkorn University, Thai Red Cross, 1873, Rama IV Road, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Aurauma Chutinet MD, MSc

  2. J. Philip Kistler Stroke Research Center, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 175 Cambridge Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Natalia S. Rost MD, MPH

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  1. Aurauma Chutinet MD, MSc
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  2. Natalia S. Rost MD, MPH
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Correspondence to Natalia S. Rost MD, MPH.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke

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Chutinet, A., Rost, N.S. White Matter Disease as a Biomarker for Long-Term Cerebrovascular Disease and Dementia. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med 16, 292 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11936-013-0292-z

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