White matter damage is linked to greater cortical thinning in men

In a longitudinal study of 104 older adults followed over nine years, researchers tracked how white matter signal aberrations—a proxy for cerebral small vessel disease—relate to cortical changes. Participants had an average baseline age of 72.4 years and underwent brain MRI scans at baseline and at one, three, five, and nine years. Across both sexes, baseline aberration volume was 3.6 cm³ and grew at an average annual rate of 7.2%. Increasing aberrations were associated with accelerated cortical thinning over time, compounding typical aging changes. This link was more pronounced and occurred in more lobes in men than in women, despite both sexes having similar aberration volumes and growth rates. In men alone, these affected lobes also showed an unexpected increase in cortical area. Aberration growth was not associated with hippocampal volume changes.