Axonal Preservation in Deep Subcortical White Matter Lesions in the Ageing Brain

Cerebral white matters lesions (WML) are seen in 94% of the population aged 64 and over and are associated with cognitive decline and depression. We used immunohistochemistry and stereological methods on post mortem brain samples derived from the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC-CFAS) cohort to investigate the axonal density within deep subcortical lesions. There was no significant difference between the lesional and control white matter, therefore, we conclude that there is axonal preservation within these lesions that are characterized by demyelination.