Associations between white matter structural properties and global cognition as measured by MoCA scores in older adults
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Background / Objective The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a widely used tool for evaluating global cognitive function across multiple domains, including memory, attention, language, visuospatial skills, and executive function. White matter (WM) in the brain, composed of myelinated nerve fibers, is crucial for facilitating communication between different brain regions. Understanding the relationship between the structural integrity of WM and cognitive performance is essential for identifying biomarkers for cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. This study aims to investigate the associations between the structural properties of white matter and global cognitive function as measured by MoCA scores in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods Participants included 59 apparently healthy older adults (34 females and 25 males) aged 60–85 years. All underwent whole-brain structural 3T MRI (T1W, T2W, DTI). DTI images were checked for artifacts by an experienced neuroradiologist. Tractography was performed using the Siemens “syngo.via” workstation (Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany). Circular voxels (1 cm radius) were manually placed on regions of interest, and the software automatically calculated the median values of fractional anisotrophy (FA) and the number of tracts (NOT). For anatomical reference, a high-resolution T1W 3D structural image was acquired for all participants. Cognitive assessments were conducted by a qualified mental health care specialist, utilizing the MoCA test. Results Significant positive correlations were found between MoCA scores and the number of fiber tracts in the left and right temporal tapetum (NOT 21 and NOT 22: r-values ≥ 0.432, uncorrected p < 0.001). Other correlations did not reach significance (all uncorrected p-values ≥ 0.003), though trends with moderate effect sizes were observed between MoCA scores and the whole-brain number of fiber tracts (NOT 1: r = 0.375, uncorrected p = 0.005), FA of the left external capsule fiber tracts (FA 6: r = 0.361, uncorrected p = 0.007), and FA of the left temporal tapetum fiber tracts (FA 22: r = 0.342, uncorrected p = 0.011). No significant associations were found when HC and MCI groups were analyzed separately (all uncorrected p > 0.001). Conclusions Our study confirms associations between WM structural properties and MoCA scores. Higher FA values in specific WM tracts, particularly from the hippocampus and cingulate cortex, correlate positively with cognitive function, while reduced FA values in regions like the right sensorimotor cortex are linked to cognitive decline. These findings suggest that FA values and the number of tracts (NOT) in key WM regions can serve as reliable markers for monitoring cognitive decline and disease progression in MCI.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.000 | 0.002 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Open science | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Research integrity | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.002 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".