Is white matter disease the same as Alzheimer's?

Unlike Alzheimer's disease which shrinks the hippocampus causing progressive memory loss, white matter disease is a more diffuse mind-robbing condition that targets small blood vessels deep within the brain's white matter.

Is white matter disease related to Alzheimer's?

Background: White matter lesions (WML) are a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Progression of WML is associated with vascular factors and cognitive decline in population based studies but the course of WML is unknown in Alzheimer's disease.

Is white matter disease a form of dementia?

Originally, white matter disease was considered a normal, age-related change. But over the last decade, medical experts have come to understand that the presence of large areas of disease in the white matter of the brain are associated with cognitive decline and dementia in patients.

What is another name for white matter disease?

White matter disease causes these areas to decline in their functionality. This disease is also referred to as leukoaraiosis.

What age does white matter disease start?

Who does white matter disease affect? White matter disease can affect anyone, but it's more common in people 60 years of age and older and in people who have cardiovascular disease.

Stroke, White Matter Disease and Alzheimer's Disease: Can Canada Avoid an Epidemic of Dementia?

What is the life expectancy of someone with white matter disease?

Within 2 years, children can develop gait and posture problems, as well as blindness and paralysis. It is not possible to stop disease progression, and it is typically fatal within 6 months to 4 years of symptom onset.

Is white matter disease considered a disability?

Yes - it is considered a disability by the Social Security Administration. This is because it is an extremely serious brain disorder that can cause permanent tissue damage including scarring of the brain and loss of tissue.

What does it mean to have white matter disease?

White matter disease is the wearing away of tissue in the largest and deepest part of your brain that has a number of causes, including aging. This tissue contains millions of nerve fibers, or axons, that connect other parts of the brain and spinal cord and signal your nerves to talk to one another.

What does white matter on the brain mean?

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. Myelin gives the white matter its color.

Is white matter disease rare?

Leukodystrophies are a group of rare, progressive, metabolic, genetic diseases that affect the brain, spinal cord and often the peripheral nerves. Each type of leukodystrophy is caused by a specific gene abnormality that leads to abnormal development or destruction of the white matter (myelin sheath) of the brain.

What is the difference between dementia and white matter disease?

Unlike Alzheimer's disease which shrinks the hippocampus causing progressive memory loss, white matter disease is a more diffuse mind-robbing condition that targets small blood vessels deep within the brain's white matter.

Which type of dementia is associated with white matter lesions?

White matter lesions increase the risk of poststroke dementia and, together with lacunar infarcts, are considered the primary type of brain lesions in subcortical ischemic vascular dementia.

How do you get white matter disease?

White matter disease is a progressive disorder caused by age-related decline in the part of the nerves (the white matter) that connect different areas of brain to each other and to the spinal cord. This disorder can result in memory loss, imbalance and can lead to problems with mobility in older age.

Does white matter in the brain cause Alzheimer's?

Summary: White matter abnormalities not only represent an early neuropathological event in Alzheimer's disease but may also play an important role in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Can white matter in the brain be repaired?

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.

What does white matter on brain MRI mean?

White matter disease is commonly detected on brain MRI of aging individuals as white matter hyperintensities (WMH), or 'leukoaraiosis.” Over the years it has become increasingly clear that the presence and extent of WMH is a radiographic marker of small cerebral vessel disease and an important predictor of the life- ...

Can a brain scan show dementia?

Dementia brain scans

Like memory tests, on their own brain scans cannot diagnose dementia, but are used as part of the wider assessment. Not everyone will need a brain scan, particularly if the tests and assessments show that dementia is a likely diagnosis.

Does white matter disease cause fatigue?

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].

Is white matter disease genetic?

Leukodystrophies are a group of rare, genetic disorders that affect the white matter of the brain. The word leukodystrophy comes from leuko, which means white, and dystrophy, which means imperfect growth. Leukodystrophies are characterized by this abnormal growth of white matter in the brain.

Is white matter disease painful?

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.

Can you survive white matter disease?

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].

What kind of doctor treats white matter disease?

A radiologist, particularly a neuroradiologist, has expertise in what the brain should look like on an MRI. When evaluating for white matter disease, the radiologist will be looking for abnormal signal in the brain tissue.

Is white matter disease the same as MS?

White Matter Consists Mainly of Nerve Fibers

In MS, the immune system attacks the myelin in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. The attack causes inflammation that eventually leads to sclerosis, which is the medical term for scarring. (That's how MS got its name.)

Does white matter disease cause headaches?

Patients with extensive white matter hyperintensities are likely to have tension-type headaches or to have headaches develop during middle age, according to results published in Cephalagia. Currently, there are no established treatments or strategies for managing white matter hyperintensities.

At what age does the average human have the most white matter?

It starts and ends with roughly the same amount of white matter and peaks between ages 30 and 50. But each of the 24 regions changes a different amount. Some parts of the brain, like those that control movement, are long, flat arcs, staying relatively stable throughout life.