• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.194-200
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• 2018

Objectives : The significance of leukoaraiosis on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is uncertain, but it is often seen with vascular risk factors or in the context of cognitive impairment. We aimed to investigate the effect of leukoaraiosis on the severity and course of delirium. Methods : Periventricular hyperintensity and deep white matter hyperintensity on brain MRI were rated in 42 patients with delirium by semiquantative visual rating scale. Correlations between their grades and the scores of Korean version of Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (K-DRS-R-98) were analyzed, and the interaction effects between the groups according to the levels of leukoaraiosis and two evaluation points were also analyzed. Results : The grade of deep white matter hyperintensity in the occipital lobe was positively correlated with the scores on the total, severity items, cognitive items, and non-cognitive items of K-DRS-R-98. The cognitive items scores of K-DRS-R-98 in the low grade group of periventricular hyperintensity showed significantly steeper decrease than the high grade group. Conclusions : A difference in severity or recovery speed of delirium according to the level of leukoaraiosis may result from disruption in brain functional connectivity. Our results have a clinical implication in that the severity and course of delirium can be possibly predicted using the level of leukoaraiosis.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.203-210
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• 1996

Objects : To investigate the relationship between the age of onset with the atrophy and the white matter hyperintensities observed in the brain MRI of Alzheimer patients. Methods : The authors measured volumetrically cortical and ventricular brain atrophy and rated semiquantitatively white matter signal hyperintensities in nine presenile and 18 senile Alzheimer patients, who were matched for dementia severity, according to NINCDS-ADRDA criteria and in age-matched 10 presenile and 11 senile control subjects. Results : Presenile Alzheimer patients showed significantly greater cortical and ventricular atrophy indices(p<0.05) but no difference in white matter hyperintensity scores compared to the age-matched control group. On the contrary, senile Alzheimer patients showed significantly greater white matter hyperintensity scores(p<0.05) but no difference in cortical and ventricular atrophy indices compared to the age-matched control group. Conclusion : An earlier onset was related to marked brain atrophy with less white matter lesions and a later onset is related to marked white matter lesions with less brain atrophy in Alzheimer's disease. Our results suggested the passible difference in the pathophysiology between the presenile and the senile-onset Alzheimer's disease.