Neuropathologic scales of cerebrovascular disease associated with diffusion changes on MRI

Summarizing the multiplicity and heterogeneity of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) features into a single measure has been difficult in both neuropathology and imaging studies. The objective of this work was to evaluate the association between neuroimaging surrogates of CVD and two available neuropathologic CVD scales in those with both antemortem imaging CVD measures and postmortem CVD evaluation. Individuals in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging with MRI scans within 5 years of death (N = 51) were included. Antemortem CVD measures were computed from diffusion MRI (dMRI), FLAIR, and T2* GRE imaging modalities and compared with postmortem neuropathologic findings using Kalaria and Strozyk Scales. Of all the neuroimaging measures, both regional and global dMRI measures were associated with Kalaria and Strozyk Scales (p