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@ARTICLE{Cai:283050,
author = {Cai, Mengfei and Li, Hao and Nemy, Milan and Jacob, Mina A
and Norris, David G and Duering, Marco and Zhang, Yuhu and
Kessels, Roy P C and Vyslouzilova, Lenka and Teipel, Stefan
J and Ferreira, Daniel and de Leeuw, Frank-Erik and
Tuladhar, Anil M},
title = {{C}holinergic {D}isruption {C}ontributes to {M}otoric
{C}ognitive {D}ysfunction in {C}erebral {S}mall {V}essel
{D}isease.},
journal = {Stroke},
volume = {57},
number = {1},
issn = {0039-2499},
address = {New York, NY},
publisher = {Association},
reportid = {DZNE-2025-01457},
pages = {169 - 181},
year = {2026},
abstract = {Cognitive decline and gait disturbance are often observed
simultaneously in patients with small vessel disease (SVD),
also known as motoric cognitive dysfunction. However, it
remains unknown whether cholinergic system disruption
contributes to motoric cognitive dysfunction.In this
cross-sectional, single-center study conducted in the
Netherlands, we included 213 patients with SVD between 2020
and 2021, all of whom had multimodal magnetic resonance
imaging scans, gait assessments using the 6-meter walk test,
and cognitive test battery data available. Cholinergic
cortical (through external capsule and cingulum) and
thalamic projections (pedunculopontine nucleus to thalamus)
were reconstructed using probabilistic tractography on
diffusion images, followed by the quantification of the
disruption in these tracts with diffusion metrics derived
from neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging
model. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging markers for
SVD were assessed.Covariates, including neurite orientation
dispersion and density imaging metrics in the white matter
control mask and SVD markers, were adjusted in linear
regression.A total of 213 patients with SVD were included,
with a mean (SD) age of 74.6 (6.8) years, of whom 96
$(45.1\%)$ were women. Conventional SVD markers are
differentially associated with disrupted cholinergic
pathways, with white matter hyperintensities (WMH) being the
main contributor (R² highest for neurite density index,
0.38). WMH within the external capsule cholinergic pathway
is more strongly associated with the neurite orientation
dispersion and density imaging metrics in this tract
compared with total WMH volume or WMH outside cholinergic
projections. In contrast, WMH within the cingulum pathway
contributes less to neurite orientation dispersion and
density imaging variability (R²=0.18-0.33 versus
0.22-0.38). Disruption in cholinergic cortical pathways was
associated with concurrent decline in performance of
cognition and gait (external capsule pathway cerebrospinal
fluid isotropic volume fraction, β=-10.77; P=0.004;
cingulum pathway cerebrospinal fluid isotropic volume
fraction, β=-13.38; P=0.011), adjusted for the
covariates.Taken together, our findings suggest that
disruption in cholinergic cortical pathways attributable to
SVD, rather than cholinergic thalamic pathways, contributes
to the motoric cognitive dysfunction in patients with SVD.},
keywords = {Humans / Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases: diagnostic imaging
/ Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases: complications / Cerebral
Small Vessel Diseases: physiopathology / Female / Male /
Aged / Cognitive Dysfunction: diagnostic imaging / Cognitive
Dysfunction: etiology / Cognitive Dysfunction:
physiopathology / Cross-Sectional Studies / Aged, 80 and
over / White Matter: diagnostic imaging / Middle Aged /
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Diffusion Tensor Imaging /
cerebral small vessel diseases (Other) / cognition (Other) /
cognitive dysfunction (Other) / gait (Other) / neuroimaging
(Other)},
cin = {AG Teipel},
ddc = {610},
cid = {I:(DE-2719)1510100},
pnm = {353 - Clinical and Health Care Research (POF4-353)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-353},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
pubmed = {pmid:41164858},
doi = {10.1161/STROKEAHA.125.052256},
url = {https://pub.dzne.de/record/283050},
}