Results from MRI

[mk3]

Hello,
I have been on the site for several years but i have not been an active participant.
I am APOE4/4, 53 Female. My mother passed of Alz. 2 years ago at the age of 77.

I actively work to keep myself healthy which includes all the things we learn on this site. My diet is not perfect but i work at it every day. I exercise 6 days a week, intermittent fast most of the time, avoid alcohol, avoid stress and of course i max. sleep. My lipid tests are excellent, i do have an elevated Lpa. All that to say, i had a MRI done at Mayo clinic this week to establish a baseline. The MRI findings below.

Minimal scattered foci of FLAIR hyperintensity in the cerebral white matter most
consistent with small vessel ischemic disease. Prominent perivascular spaces inferior basal ganglia.

Does anyone have any feedback on this, i am going to see a neurologist in a few weeks but i am eager to learn more.

[Kmlseattle]

Hello,
I have been on the site for several years but i have not been an active participant.
I am APOE4/4, 53 Female. My mother passed of Alz. 2 years ago at the age of 77.

I actively work to keep myself healthy which includes all the things we learn on this site. My diet is not perfect but i work at it every day. I exercise 6 days a week, intermittent fast most of the time, avoid alcohol, avoid stress and of course i max. sleep. My lipid tests are excellent, i do have an elevated Lpa. All that to say, i had a MRI done at Mayo clinic this week to establish a baseline. The MRI findings below.

Minimal scattered foci of FLAIR hyperintensity in the cerebral white matter most
consistent with small vessel ischemic disease. Prominent perivascular spaces inferior basal ganglia.

Does anyone have any feedback on this, i am going to see a neurologist in a few weeks but i am eager to learn more.

Welcome back, mk3!

It certainly sounds like you are doing all the right things to stay healthy. It is a daily challenge, indeed, but you are tackling the basics of diet, exercise, stress-reduction and sleep. I think the key is one day at a time and not beating yourself up about the little slip-ups along the way. It sounds like you're managing quite well, and if you ever want a little more individualized help and support, you may consider working with a health coach. There is a list of ApoE4-Aware coaches here.

I imagine this waiting period before your appointment with the neurologist is quite stressful. I am sure there are members on this forum who will have specific responses to your request for feedback on the results of your MRI. In the meantime, there's lots of information on the WIKI that may give you more insight. Please feel free to continue to post additional questions. I am sure you will find lots of information and support in this community.

All the best,
Kathleen

[NF52]

Hello,
I have been on the site for several years but i have not been an active participant.
I am APOE4/4, 53 Female. My mother passed of Alz. 2 years ago at the age of 77.

I actively work to keep myself healthy which includes all the things we learn on this site. My diet is not perfect but i work at it every day. I exercise 6 days a week, intermittent fast most of the time, avoid alcohol, avoid stress and of course i max. sleep. My lipid tests are excellent, i do have an elevated Lpa. All that to say, i had a MRI done at Mayo clinic this week to establish a baseline. The MRI findings below.

Minimal scattered foci of FLAIR hyperintensity in the cerebral white matter most
consistent with small vessel ischemic disease. Prominent perivascular spaces inferior basal ganglia.

Does anyone have any feedback on this, i am going to see a neurologist in a few weeks but i am eager to learn more.

Hi, mk3,

It's always nice to hear from someone who's been part of our community for three years. Please accept my sincere sympathy on your loss of your mother 2 years ago. Like many of us who have traveled that road with our moms, it's bittersweet to know they are no longer struggling each day and yet also no longer sharing happy moments and old memories with us. I hope you have had support from family and friends since then.

Like you, I have elevated Lp(a), which you probably know is mostly inherited. It can be tied to cardiovascular disease, and I suspect was a factor in my dad's death at age 67 from cardiac arrest. One of the risks seems to be aortic valve stenosis, which can increase blood pressure in the mild and moderate stages. I asked my primary care provider for a prescription to get a CT scan of my aortic valve, which cost about $ 150. five years ago. It was worth it me me, because it showed no stenosis and no coronary artery plaques. You may want to talk to your neurologist, or ask your doctor about a referral for a scan if you want to check that out also. (I had my done at the local hospital; easy-peasy: took about 10 minutes.)

As our intern Kathleen said in her welcoming post, you are doing a great job of living a healthy lifestyle. If you're a woman, you may want to also talk to your ob/gyn or PCP about hormone replacement therapy to supplement the major drop in estrogen that happens during peri-menopause. Turns out that our brains need estrogen to stay healthy. Check out this source; Dr. Brinton, one of the co-authors has received large grants from the NIH to study women's brain health:

In 379,352 women with or without claim records of HT [Hormone Therapy], use of HT was associated with significantly reduced risk for combined NDDs [neuro-degenerative diseases]...
HT was associated with reduced risk of all NDDs including AD and dementia, with greater duration of therapy and natural steroid formulations associated with greater efficacy. These findings advance precision HT to prevent NDDs including AD.

Association between menopausal hormone therapy and risk of neurodegenerative diseases: Implications for precision hormone therapy

Your neurologist is the best person to interpret your MRI. You may want to ask that they share their summary with your primary care provider, if you are comfortable with the PCP having that information. As more people have imaging scans, researchers are learning that many people continue to be cognitively and physically fine, even when MRIs and PET scans show signs of what are considered "biomarkers". I like to think our ApoE 4 brains can be both resilient and resistant! And while I don't know President Biden's ApoE status, his current role at age 80, after two brain aneurysms at the age of 46, suggests that cerebral vascular disease can be managed.

Keep us posted; we're rooting for encouraging news!