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†These authors contributed equally.
Purpose: White matter hyperintensity (WMH) is suggested to cause stroke
and dementia in older adults. Retinal structural thicknesses revealed by optical
coherence tomography (OCT) are associated with structural changes in the brain.
We aimed to explore the association between the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber
layer (RNFL) and cerebral microstructural changes in participants with white
matter hyperintensities (WMH). Methods: Seventy-four participants (37
controls, healthy control (HC), and 37 older adults with WMH) underwent retinal
and brain imaging using OCT and magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) respectively. Peripapillary RNFL thickness was assessed by the OCT.
Gray matter volume (GMV) was assessed from a T1-weighted MRI. White matter
integrity was assessed with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) while WMH severity was
assessed with the Fazekas scale. All participants underwent a
neuropsychological examination (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE).
Results: Older adults with WMH showed thinner peripapillary RNFL
(p = 0.004) thickness when compared with the control group after
adjusting for age, hypertension and gender. In our older adults with WMH, RNFL
thickness correlated with fractional anisotropy (FA) in the superior longitudinal
fasciculus (SLF) (Rho = –0.331, p