Microenvironment changes in basal ganglia region correlates with hypertension at 7T MRI

BACKGROUNDHypertension, a major risk factor for stroke, is associated with the changes of microenvironment in basal ganglia region, including microstructural characteristics and mapping relationship of blood flow and peripheral nerve tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODSThe morphological characteristics of the lenticulostriate arteries (LSA) and peripheral nerve nuclei were compared by 7T time-of-Flight MRA between 32 hypertensive patients (mean age: 47.1{+/-}9.6 years) and 48 age-matched healthy subjects (mean age: 47.7{+/-}8.1 years) from September 2022 to February 2023. The ITK-SNAP software was used to measure the morphological characteristics of the LSA and the volume of the nuclei. RESULTSThe average stems number and length of LSA was significantly higher in healthy people than those in hypertension patients (p<0.05). The volumes of the peripheral nerve nuclei in healthy subjects were significantly larger than those in hypertensive patients (p<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the volume of putamen and the length of LSA in the left hemisphere (r = 0.23, p < 0.05). The number of stems was found to be positively correlated with Globus pallidus volume (r = 0.27, p < 0.05) and internal capsule volume (r = 0.25, p < 0.05) in the right hemisphere. For older adults (>45 year old), the average stems number of LSA and the volume of nuclei were significantly different (P <0.05). CONCLUSIONThe microstructure of the basal ganglia has changed obviously in patients with hypertension compared to healthy individuals when observed by 7T MRA. NOVELTY AND RELEVANCE What Is New?Previously studies on basal ganglia of hypertension using 7T MRI mainly focused on the imaging of LSA, but have not identified significant associations between the LSA and peripheral nerve tissue. However, the occurrence of hypertension adverse events such as intracerebral hemorrhage is closely related to the microenvironment formed by the lenticular artery and peripheral nerve tissue. Once the potential correlation is taken into account, the treatment and follow-up plan related to hypertension may be changed to effectively reduce the adverse. What Is Relevant?The rupture of LSA is a recognized cause of stroke in the basal ganglia of hypertensive patients, and the change of the microenvironment of peripheral nerve tissue is closely related to the rupture of LSA. The current findings confirm this notion and identify a potential association between the LSA and peripheral nerve nuclei in hypertensive patients, reinforcing the causal relationship between changes in follow-up strategies for lifelong hypertension and disease risk. Clinical/Pathophysiological Implications?Consider early and active assessment of basal ganglia blood flow and peripheral nerve tissue changes in all hypertensive patients to help reduce the risk of adverse events (such as cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, cognitive impairment, etc.) in individuals.