White Matter Hyperintensities: repercussion on grey matter structures of the brain

Abstract

The extensive white matter of the brain, which comprises about one half of its volume, is constituted by an intricate and interwoven assemble of nerve fibers.
The WMH (leukoaraiosis) represent the most frequent ischemic type of lesion of SVD, affecting the white matter. These lesions may be apparent or normal
appearing on neuroimaging. In both cases such lesions may interrupt the affected white matter fibers, with consequent disconnection syndromes, and atrophy of
the denervated grey matter structures. These conditions affect the structural neural networks (connectome), with functional repercussion on the cognitive and behavioral domains.