Abstract TP95: Whole Brain Gray Matter Structural Changes Following Stroke

Background: Changes in cortical gray matter volume is associated with cognitive impairment after ischemic stroke. Here, we investigated the differences of whole brain gray matter volume and gray matter density between acute stroke patients (AS), patients with risk factors for stroke (RS), and healthy controls (HC). Methods: Patients with acute stroke (N = 65, ischemic stroke within 8 days of stroke onset, mean age = 60.64 years, SD = 12.24, SEM = 1.71), patients with risk factors for stroke (N = 27, mean age = 64.12 years, SD = 11.96, SEM = 2.30) and age-matched healthy controls (N = 57, mean age = 58.05 years, SD = 6.06, SEM = 0.80) were scanned on a GE 3T MRI scanner. High-resolution 3D T1-weighted whole brain BRAVO FSPGR images were collected: repetition time = 8160 ms, echo time = 3.18 ms, flip angle = 12°, field-of-view = 100 х 100 mm, slice thickness = 1 mm. Gray matter volume and density changes were assessed using VBM8 toolbox and SPM8, with Gaussian Random Field as multiple comparison (voxel p < .001, cluster p < .05). Results: Two sample t-test indicated that: (1) AS had significantly decreased gray matter volume compared to RS (only on the postcentral gyrus) and HC (in sub-regions of frontal, temporal, occipital lobes, sub-lobar, cerebellum); (2) AS also had significantly decreased gray matter density compared to RS (in sub-regions of frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital lobes, limbic lobe) and to HC (in sub-regions of frontal, temporal, occipital lobes, sub-lobar, limbic lobe, cerebellum) but except two regions with increased density compared to HC (anterior and posterior cingulum). (3) RS had both significantly decreased gray matter volume and density compared to HC (in sub-regions of frontal, temporal, occipital lobes, sub-lobar, cerebellum). Conclusion: Compared to RS and HC, AS may induce changes in both gray matter volume and density, which result in subsequent cognitive impairments such as language or working memory. Significant changes in RS indicate that brain and associated behavioral changes in this population merits further investigation before progression to stroke.