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FA in the frontal white matter decreases with age, which affects the connection of the frontal lobe, which is an important sign of atrophy. There was consistent with the principle of age-related cognitive impairment (Hugenschmidt et al., 2008).
Many studies have shown that with increasing age, white matter FA decreases, including such white matter areas as the corpus callosum, deep frontal, inferior frontal, medial orbital, fornix, anterior limb of internal capsule, external capsule, anterior cingulum, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and cerebellar tracts.
Are white matter lesions serious?
Severe white matter lesions (WMLs) are associated with cognitive impairment, global functional decline, cerebrovascular accident, mood disorders, gait, and balance dysfunction. WMLs are also associated with grey matter atrophy and accelerate neurodegeneration.
How do you treat white matter in the brain?
White matter disease doesn't have a cure, but there are treatments that can help manage your symptoms. The primary treatment is physical therapy. Physical therapy can help with any balance and walking difficulties you may develop.
White Matter Disease
White matter disease is a disease that affects the nerves that link various parts of the brain to each other and to the spinal cord. These nerves are also called white matter. White matter disease causes these areas to decline in their functionality.
This disease is also referred to as leukoaraiosis.
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.
Progressive means that it gets worse over time. The life expectancy after a diagnosis of white matter disease depends on the speed it progresses and the severity of any other conditions it may cause, like stroke and dementia.
White matter disease is believed to be a factor in both strokes and dementia. However, more research must be done for further confirmation.
What are the symptoms?
Many symptoms of white matter disease don’t appear until the disease has become more advanced. The symptoms may be mild in the beginning and increase in severity over time.
Symptoms of white matter disease may include:
issues with balance
walking slow
more frequent falls
unable to do more than one thing at a time, like talking while walking
depression
unusual mood changes
What are the causes and risk factors?
There’s at least one study that seems to show that white matter disease may be caused by strokes so small they’re unnoticeable to those having them.
These small, unnoticeable strokes are also called silent strokes. These silent strokes are believed to damage white matter, and therefore cause white matter disease. There’s also some evidence that white matter disease may be a cause of vascular dementia. However, more research is needed.
Risk factors for white matter disease may include:
smoking cigarettes
older age
heart disease
high blood pressure
high cholesterol
The most common risk factor is age, since this is an age-related disease.
Medically reviewed by Seunggu Han, M.D.
Written by Diana Wells
Updated on September 29, 2018
Healthy Mind and Body
