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Fornix degeneration in risk factors of Alzheimer's disease, possible trigger of cognitive decline

Authors :
María Lacalle-Aurioles
Yasser Iturria-Medina
Source :
Cerebral Circulation - Cognition and Behavior, Vol 4, Iss , Pp 100158- (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Elsevier, 2023.

Abstract

Risk factors of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) such as aging, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart failure, and traumatic brain injury can facilitate the appearance of cognitive decline and dementia by triggering cerebrovascular pathology and neuroinflammation.White matter (WM) microstructure and function are especially vulnerable to these conditions. Microstructural WM changes, assessed with diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging, can already be detected at preclinical stages of AD, and in the presence of the aforementioned risk factors. Particularly, the limbic system and cortico-cortical association WM tracts, which myelinate late during brain development, degenerate at the earliest stages. The fornix, a C-shaped WM tract that originates from the hippocampus, is one of the limbic tracts that shows early microstructural changes. Fornix integrity is necessary for ensuring an intact executive function and memory performance. Thus, a better understanding of the mechanisms that cause fornix degeneration is critical in the development of therapeutic strategies aiming to prevent cognitive decline in populations at risk. In this literature review, i) we deepen the idea that partial loss of forniceal integrity is an early event in AD, ii) we describe the role that common risk factors of AD can play in the degeneration of the fornix, and iii) we discuss some potential cellular and physiological mechanisms of WM degeneration in the scenario of cerebrovascular disease and inflammation.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
26662450
Volume :
4
Issue :
100158-
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Cerebral Circulation - Cognition and Behavior
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.08134b0da2124d85b1838e129b40b3a4
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cccb.2023.100158