White matter hyperintensities affect transcranial electrical stimulation in the aging brain
Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are estimated to occur in greater than 63% of older adults over the age of 60 years. WMH identified in the T2-weighted FLAIR images can be combined with T1-weighted images to enhance individualized current flow models of older adults by accounting for...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Brain Stimulation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1935861X20302965 |
| Summary: | Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are estimated to occur in greater than 63% of older adults over the age of 60 years. WMH identified in the T2-weighted FLAIR images can be combined with T1-weighted images to enhance individualized current flow models of older adults by accounting for the presence of WMH and its effects on delivered tES current in the aging brain. Methods: Individualized head models were derived from T1-weighted images of 130 healthy older adults (mean = 71 years). Lesions segmented from FLAIR acquisition were added to individualized models. Current densities were computed in the brain and compared between models with and without lesions. Main results: Integrating WMH into the models resulted in an overall decrease (up to 7%) in median current densities in the brain outside lesion regions. Changes in current density and total lesion volume was positively correlated (R2 = 0.31, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Incorporating WMH into individualized models may increase the accuracy of predicted tES current flow in the aging brain. |
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| ISSN: | 1935-861X |