Objective To analyze the changes in cognitive function in patients with different severi-ties of leukoaraiosis using diffusion tensor imaging(DTI).Methods A total of 104 patients with leukoaraiosis admitted to our hospital from June 2022 to June 2024 were enrolled,and then according to Fazekas visual assessment,they were divided into mild(31 cases),moderate(46 cases),and severe(27 cases)groups.Their general information was collected,and the cognitive function was evaluated using mini-mental state examination(MMSE)and Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA).The fractional anisotropy(FA)values of different regions of interest were obtained by DTI,and their correlation with cognitive function was analyzed in each group.Results There were no significant differences in gender,smoking and drinking history,and proportions of hypertension,diabetes and coronary heart disease among the three groups(P＞0.05).The severe group had more advanced age than the mild group and the moderate group(78.49±7.05 years vs 70.33±6.22 years and 70.30±6.37,P＜0.05).Statistical differences were observed among the three groups in terms of scores of language,memory and recall,total score of MMSE and MoCA scores(P＜0.01).The mild group and the moderate group had obviously higher scores of lan-guage,memory,calculation and recall,total score of MMSE,and MoCA scores than the severe group(P＜0.05).The FA values of the parietal lobe and the corpus callosum were decreased in the mild,moderate and severe groups in order(P＜0.01),and the FA values of the frontal lobe,temporal lobe,occipital lobe and anterior horn of the lateral ventricle in the severe group were notably lower than those in the mild group and the moderate group(P＜0.05).Pearson correla-tion analysis showed that the scores of language,memory and recall,total MMSE score and MoCA scores were positively correlated with FA values of the frontal lobe,temporal lobe,occipi-tal lobe and anterior horn of the lateral ventricle(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion For patients with leukoaraiosis,the more severe the condition,the worse their cognitive function.Moreover,FA value is related to the degree of cognitive impairment,mainly in the regions of interest related to language,memory and recall.Clinically,FA value of the region of interest obtained by DTI can be used to evaluate cognitive function.

Objective To analyze the changes in cognitive function in patients with different severi-ties of leukoaraiosis using diffusion tensor imaging(DTI).Methods A total of 104 patients with leukoaraiosis admitted to our hospital from June 2022 to June 2024 were enrolled,and then according to Fazekas visual assessment,they were divided into mild(31 cases),moderate(46 cases),and severe(27 cases)groups.Their general information was collected,and the cognitive function was evaluated using mini-mental state examination(MMSE)and Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA).The fractional anisotropy(FA)values of different regions of interest were obtained by DTI,and their correlation with cognitive function was analyzed in each group.Results There were no significant differences in gender,smoking and drinking history,and proportions of hypertension,diabetes and coronary heart disease among the three groups(P＞0.05).The severe group had more advanced age than the mild group and the moderate group(78.49±7.05 years vs 70.33±6.22 years and 70.30±6.37,P＜0.05).Statistical differences were observed among the three groups in terms of scores of language,memory and recall,total score of MMSE and MoCA scores(P＜0.01).The mild group and the moderate group had obviously higher scores of lan-guage,memory,calculation and recall,total score of MMSE,and MoCA scores than the severe group(P＜0.05).The FA values of the parietal lobe and the corpus callosum were decreased in the mild,moderate and severe groups in order(P＜0.01),and the FA values of the frontal lobe,temporal lobe,occipital lobe and anterior horn of the lateral ventricle in the severe group were notably lower than those in the mild group and the moderate group(P＜0.05).Pearson correla-tion analysis showed that the scores of language,memory and recall,total MMSE score and MoCA scores were positively correlated with FA values of the frontal lobe,temporal lobe,occipi-tal lobe and anterior horn of the lateral ventricle(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion For patients with leukoaraiosis,the more severe the condition,the worse their cognitive function.Moreover,FA value is related to the degree of cognitive impairment,mainly in the regions of interest related to language,memory and recall.Clinically,FA value of the region of interest obtained by DTI can be used to evaluate cognitive function.