Intracranial arterial pulsatility assessed by 4D-flow imaging is associated with white matter degeneration

We investigate the association between the intracranial pulsatility assessed by 4D-flow imaging and white matter degeneration in a community cohort. White matter free water and tissue fractional anisotropy were used to reflect white matter degeneration. We found that the intracranial arterial pulsatility in different vessel segments was positively associated with increased free water, and negatively associated with tissue fractional anisotropy. After adjusting for age and vascular risk factors, the associations disappeared. Further investigations in larger samples are warranted.