White Matter Microstructure Analysis in Subjective Memory Complaints and Cognitive Impairment: Insights from Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging and Free-Water DTI

Dementia is characterized by a cognitive decline in memory and other domains that lead to functional impairments. As people age, subjective memory complaints (SMC) become common, where individuals perceive cognitive decline without objective deficits on assessments. SMC can be an early sign and may precede amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which frequently advances to Alzheimer's disease (AD).