Use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans to
detect leukoaraiosis benefits patients undergoing brain mapping
for surgery or other treatments, according to researchers in a
study published online in the journal Radiology. Leukoaraiosis,
tiny areas of the brain that have been deprived of oxygen and
appear as bright white dots on MRI scans, have long been
considered to be a benign part of aging. However, this small
vessel ischemia, which is common among people over the age of
60, may affect connectivity in the brain’s network activity,
researchers said. “We know that aging is a risk factor for
leukoaraiosis, and we suspect that high blood pressure may also
play a role,” said Kirk M. Welker, MD, assistant professor of
radiology in the College of Medicine at Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, Minn. Welker and his colleagues studied 36 elderly
patients. Eighteen patients had a moderate amount (25 ml) of
leukoaraiosis and 18 were age-matched control subjects who had
less than 5 ml of leukoaraiosis. All subjec