Faculty Collaboration Database

Changes in Cerebral Volume and White Matter Integrity in Adults on Hemodialysis and Relationship to Cognitive Function. Nephron 2021;145(1):35-43

Date

10/14/2020

Pubmed ID

33049742

Pubmed Central ID

PMC7785532

DOI

10.1159/000510614

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85094200279 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   12 Citations

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Patients on hemodialysis (HD) have a significant burden of cognitive impairment. Characterizing the cerebral structural changes in HD patients compared to healthy controls and evaluating the relationship of cerebral structural integrity with cognitive performance in HD patients can help clarify the pathophysiology of the cognitive impairment in HD patients.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, in-center HD patients ≥50 years of age underwent brain structural and diffusion MRIs and cognitive assessment using the NIH Toolbox cognition battery. The cerebral imaging measures of the HD participants were compared to imaging from age-matched controls. Gray matter volume, white matter volume, and white matter integrity determined by diffusion tensor imaging parameters (including fractional anisotropy [FA]) were measured in both cohorts to determine differences in the cerebral structure between HD participants and healthy controls. The association between cognitive performance on the NIH Toolbox cognition battery and cerebral structural integrity was evaluated using multiple linear regression models.

RESULTS: We compared imaging measures form 23 HD participants and 15 age-matched controls. The HD participants had decreased gray matter volumes (526.8 vs. 589.5 cm3, p < 0.01) and worsened white matter integrity overall (FA values of 0.2864 vs. 0.3441, p < 0.01) within major white matter tracts compared to healthy controls. Decreases in white matter integrity in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus was associated with lower executive function scores (r2 = 0.24, p = 0.02) and inferior longitudinal fasciculus with lower memory scores (r = 0.25 and p = 0.03 for left and r2 = 0.21 and p = 0.03 for right).

CONCLUSIONS: HD patients have a pattern of decreased white matter integrity and gray matter atrophy compared to controls. Decreases in white matter integrity were associated with decreased cognitive performance in the HD population.

Author List

Richerson WT, Umfleet LG, Schmit BD, Wolfgram DF

Authors

Brian Schmit PhD Professor in the Biomedical Engineering department at Marquette University
Laura Umfleet PsyD Associate Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Dawn Felicity Wolfgram MD Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Aged
Case-Control Studies
Cognition
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Renal Dialysis
White Matter