White matter alterations in cerebral amyloid angiopathy measured by diffusion tensor imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) represents beta-amyloid deposition in the small- and medium-sized vessels of the brain and meninges. CAA contributes to altered vessel function and is associated with white matter damage, cognitive impairment, and most salient, hemorrhagic stroke. We used diffusion tensor imaging to evaluate the anatomic distribution of white matter degeneration in participants diagnosed with advanced CAA.
METHODS: Diffusion tensor imaging was obtained from 11 participants diagnosed with CAA-related intracerebral hemorrhage and 13 matched healthy control participants. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and diffusivity maps were compared using voxel based t test and region-of-interest analyses.
RESULTS: FA was reduced in CAA in temporal white matter and in the splenium of the corpus callosum (P CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a pattern of regional brain tissue degeneration is a characteristic feature of advanced CAA.