What does the corpus callosum tell us about brain changes in the elderly?

Abstract

Evaluation of: Ryberg C, Rostrup E, Paulson OB et al. On behalf of the LADIS study group. Corpus callosum atrophy as a predictor of age-related cognitive and motor impairment: a 3 year follow-up of the LADIS study cohort. J. Neurol. Sci. 307(1–2), 100–105 (2011).

The corpus callosum is the largest hemispheric interconnection bundle in the human brain. Its anterior–posterior fiber caliber gradient can help in understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying white matter changes both in old age and dementia. Here, the Leukoaraiosis and Disability (LADIS) study, a longitudinal cohort study, which shows an association between corpus callosum atrophy and cognitive and motor decline in the elderly, provides the possibility to consider the use of multimodal macro-microstructural imaging of corpus callosum as a marker of structural brain changes of physiological and pathological aging.

Keywords::

• age-related white matter changes
• corpus callosum
• demyelination process
• diffusion tensor imaging
• elderly
• region of interest
• Wallerian degeneration

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.