Fig. 2

Changes in WMH volumes and cortical thickness over four years. We obtained latent intercepts and slopes for each individual through the application of univariate LGCM to WMH volumes and cortical thickness (separate models for each neuroimaging feature). We used them to compute latent growth curve parameters and predict individual trajectories, corrected for age, sex, years of education, total cardiovascular risk scores, and TICV. Prior to plotting and to enhance interpretability, we back-transformed all predicted measurements. A Total WMH volume trajectories, as predicted by the model. Light blue lines represent the predicted trajectories and the dark blue one the average one. B Back-transformed individual factor scores of latent slopes for WMH, summarised in the density plots, indicate that WMH volumes generally increased over time. We adjusted density plots such that the modes attain the highest value, irrespective of the actual frequency. The rate of change varied substantially across individuals in both cases. C Mean cortical thickness trajectories, as predicted by the model. Light purple lines represent the predicted trajectories and the dark purple one the average one. D Back-transformed individual factor scores of cortical thicknesses across the considered brain regions. The variability in change rates indicated significant inter-individual differences in regional cortical thinning