Motivation: White matter integrity can contribute to cognitive resilience in superagers, but this has not been investigated. Goal(s): Identify differences in cerebral small vessel disease between superagers and age-matched healthy older adults. Approach: We conducted a regional-zonal analysis to map global and regional white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess microstructural white matter integrity. Results: Results showed that superagers have a lower WMH burden, particularly in the temporo-occipital lobes, which are critical for episodic memory, and exhibited higher fractional anisotropy (FA), suggesting that both macro- and microstructural white matter integrity can contribute to their preserved cognitive function. Impact: A lower burden of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) at both macro- and microstructural levels may contribute to the superagers' phenotype, emphasizing the importance of managing known CSVD risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and smoking.
Godoy et al. (Tue,) studied this question.