White matter stroke is a prominent stroke subtype. White matter stroke is a leading cause of dementia (vascular dementia) and commonly co-occurs with Alzheimer's disease. Unlike multiple sclerosis, there is no cellular repair process in white matter stroke.
In fact, stroke in subcortical white matter regions of the brain accounts for approximately 30% of all stroke subtypes, and white matter injury is a component of most classes of stroke damage.
White matter lesions are among the most common incidental findings—which means the lesions have no clinical significance—on brain scans of people of any age. They may also reflect a mixture of inflammation, swelling, and damage to the myelin.
A person with white matter disease will gradually have increasing difficulty with the ability to think. They'll also have progressively worsening issues with balance. White matter disease is an age-related, progressive disease. Age-related means that it usually affects older people.
White matter plays an essential role in communication within the brain and between the brain and spinal cord. As a result, damage to this tissue can lead to issues with: problem-solving. memory and focus.
Age-related white matter disease is progressive, meaning it can get worse. But you can take steps to stop it from spreading. Scientists think you might even be able to repair the damage, if you catch it early.
Comprising about half the brain, white matter is prominently or exclusively involved in well over 100 disorders, in each of which white matter dysfunction can potentially cause or contribute to dementia.
These data demonstrate a consistent regional scaling relationship between global and regional WMSA that can be used to classify individuals into one of four stages of white matter disease.
Treatments: While there is no known cure for white matter disease, treatments can help to manage the symptoms. Controlling the risk factors associated with heart disease can help decrease the progression of the disease.
White matter injuries are very serious, but, depending on the type and extent of the injury, extensive recovery may occur. As long as the neuron cell bodies remain healthy, axons can regrow and slowly repair themselves.
White matter dynamically changes in response to learning, stress, and social experiences. Several lines of evidence have reported white matter dysfunction in psychiatric conditions, including depression, stress- and anxiety-related disorders.
White matter disease is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease risk factors, and researchers believe that white matter disease is a biomarker (medical sign) of the lifelong risk of stroke, dementia and disability.
In general, the prognosis is grave, with the majority of patients dying after a few years. However, some die only after several months, and some manage to survive for several decades [6].
Increasing and Improving White Matter
Other research found that when adults learned new skills, the amount of white matter in their brains increased. This was true for learning to read as an adult and learning to juggle.
Age-related changes in the brain -- the appearance, starting around age 60, of "white-matter lesions" among the brain's message-carrying axons -- significantly affect cognitive function in old age. White-matter lesions are small bright patches that show up on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain.
White matter lesions are often found on MR scans of elderly people, they are attributed to degenerative changes of long penetrating arteries. 1-6 Reported prevalence ranges from 5% to 90%, depending on study design, study population, and rating scales.
White matter plays an essential role in communication within the brain and between the brain and spinal cord. As a result, damage to this tissue can lead to issues with: problem-solving. memory and focus.
Background: White matter lesions (WML) are a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
In addition, white matter hyperintensities (WMH), for example in the spinothalamic tract, also referred to as the anterolateral pathway, may lead to an increase in pain experience; this type of pain is paraphrased as deafferentiation pain.
VWM is a recessive genetic disease, meaning both parents carry a mutation on the same gene that has been inherited by their child. Each child of parents who carry VWM has a 25% chance of having VWM, a 50% chance of being a carrier, and a 25% of being unaffected.
Brain white matter (WM), and more specifically neuronal connectivity, is thought to perform a crucial role in the central processing of fatigue [1]. In diseases of the WM, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), persisting fatigue is a common disabling complication [2].
White matter is found in the deeper tissues of the brain (subcortical). It contains nerve fibers (axons), which are extensions of nerve cells (neurons). Many of these nerve fibers are surrounded by a type of sheath or covering called myelin.
Approximately half the brain is grey matter, made up of cell bodies including neurons, the other half, referred to as white matter is composed of neuronal projections which are insulated by fatty membranes and therefore appear white. Tumour cells use the white matter as a route to spread to other brain regions.
Depressive disorder has been linked to changes in the white matter. White matter changes in depressive disorder could be a result of impaired cerebral blood flow (CBF) and CBF self-regulation, impaired blood-brain barrier function, inflammatory factors, genes and environmental factors.
Recent studies have reported that they may also be common in middle-aged individuals, and their systematic evaluation in younger populations is necessary. Recent findings: Incidental white matter hyperintensities are common in brains of healthy individuals in their 60s and may be seen as early as the 30s and 40s.