Abstract #1922

Assessing White Matter Microstructural Changes Associated with Aging & Dementia using Mean Apparent Propagator (MAP) MRI

Jason F. Moody¹, Douglas C. Dean III^1,2,3, Steven R. Kecskemeti ³, Sterling C. Johnson^4,5, Barbara B. Bendlin⁴, and Andrew L. Alexander^1,3,6

¹Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, United States, ²Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States, ³Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, United States, ⁴Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, United States, ⁵Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Middleton Memorial VA Hospital, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States, ⁶Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States

We implement mean apparent propagator (MAP) MRI to investigate distinct white matter (WM) microstructural changes associated with aging and AD dementia. Age trajectories of MAP MRI parameters extracted from the cingulum, corpus callosum, and superior longitudinal fasciculus reveal evidence for structurally affected axons in aging populations. Return to origin probability (RTOP) and non-Gaussianity (NG) age trajectories are significantly flatter in AD dementia subjects compared to healthy controls, indicating that these measures could serve as markers for WM deterioration characteristic of dementia. Our findings provide an early quantitative framework for identifying specific WM microstructural deficiencies associated with aging and dementia.

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