Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41851083›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Divergent white matter metabolic signature patterns indicate impending cognitive decline in aging and dementia.

Wen Zhang, Sheelakumari Raghavan, Jianqiao Tian, Scott A Przybelski, Heather J Wiste, Angela J Fought, Matthew L Senjem, Christopher G Schwarz, Robert I Reid, Mary M Machulda and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Wen ZhangDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Sheelakumari RaghavanDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Jianqiao TianDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3994-2922
Scott A PrzybelskiDepartment of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Heather J WisteDepartment of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Angela J FoughtDepartment of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Matthew L SenjemDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9308-9275
Christopher G SchwarzDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1466-8357
Robert I ReidDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2391-8650
Mary M MachuldaDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Ronald C PetersenDepartment of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8178-6601
Jonathan Graff-RadfordDepartment of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Clifford R JackDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7916-622X
Val J LoweDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Prashanthi VemuriDepartment of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. vemuri.prashanthi@mayo.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4286-0589

Funding

SUPPLEMENT TO ALZHEIMERS DISEASE PATIENT REGISTRYU01AG006786 · NIA · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · PI GRAFF-RADFORD, JONATHAN, JACK, CLIFFORD R. · 1986 to 2023
$49.6M
Investigating Resistance and Resilience Mechanisms in Alzheimer’s DiseaseR01AG056366 · NIA · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · PI PRASHANTHI VEMURI · 2017 to 2026
$7.0M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG056366NIA NIH HHS U01 AG006786
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

White matter (WM) is a key substrate for interregional neural communication and cognitive function but the role of WM glucose metabolism in cognitive aging has been understudied. Using multimodal neuroimaging (MRI, FDG-PET, amyloid-PET) from 3142 participants (15,287 visits) across two studies, we examined the contribution of WM to cognition and identified divergent WM signatures. Higher glucose metabolism in expected WM (EWM; corpus callosum and cingulum) was associated with better cognition, whereas increased metabolism in atypical WM (AWM; corona radiata) was linked to worse cognition, indicating a compensatory mechanism. EWM metabolism declined with aging, Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression (amyloid-β and APOE-ε4 carrier), and white matter hyperintensities, while AWM metabolism increased with aging and vascular risk but was partially weakened by AD neuropathology. Longitudinally, higher EWM and lower AWM metabolism predicted slower cognitive decline. Divergent WM metabolic patterns shed light on the dynamic role of WM in maintaining cognitive function. This study emphasizes the complementary information provided by WM metabolism for predicting future cognitive decline and identifying cognitive resilience.

Indexed as

AgingCognitive DysfunctionDementiaWhite MatterAgedAged, 80 and overAlzheimer DiseaseAmyloid beta-PeptidesCognitionFemaleGlucoseHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMalePositron-Emission TomographyAmyloid beta-PeptidesGlucose

Identifiers

PMID41851083
PMCPMC13153421

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.