Research progress in evaluation of cognitive function disorders related to cerebral small vessel disease via multimodal MRI brain function imaging
CHEN Xiao
LI Xiangsheng
Abstract：Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a clinical imaging syndrome primarily characterized by damage to small vessels in the brain and is an important cause of vascular cognitive impairment and dementia. In recent years, the development of multimodal MRI technology has provided a new perspective for the comprehensive and non-invasive assessment of cognitive function impairment caused by CSVD. Among these, structural MRI quantifies the volume of white matter lesions and patterns of brain atrophy to indicate the severity of cognitive impairment; diffusion tensor imaging assesses the integrity of white matter fibers, suggesting an association between early microstructural damage and specific cognitive impairments; arterial spin labeling indicates significantly reduced cerebral blood flow in certain brain regions in patients with subcortical cognitive impairment; and blood oxygen level-dependent imaging evaluates cognitive dysfunction caused by CSVD from three aspects: local brain functional changes, functional connectivity, and functional networks. In this regard, the authors review the research progress of multimodal MRI in the evaluation of cognitive dysfunction related to CSVD, aiming to provide guidance for early intervention and treatment in clinical practice.
Keywords：Cerebral small vessel diseaseMultimodal MRIBrain functional connectivityCognitive function
Publication Date：2025-06-25
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 266-269 )