Longitudinal changes in white matter free water in cerebral small vessel disease: Relationship to cerebral blood flow and white matter fiber alterations

White matter (WM) free water (FW) is a potential imaging marker for cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). This study aimed to characterize longitudinal changes in WM FW and investigate factors contributing to its elevation in CSVD. We included 80 CSVD patients and 40 normal controls (NCs) with multi-modality MRI data. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured, and fiber alterations were assessed using total apparent fiber density (AFDt). FW were extracted from whole WM, white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and normal-appearing WM (NAWM). Baseline and longitudinal FW elevation were compared between patients and NCs, and between WMH and NAWM. We investigated whether baseline vascular risk factor score, CBF, and AFDt could predict longitudinal FW elevation. Association between cognition and WM FW in CSVD was also assessed. Results shown that FW was higher and increased faster in CSVD compared to NCs and in WMH compared to NAWM. Baseline AFDt predicted longitudinal FW elevation in CSVD patients, while CBF predicted FW changes only in controls. WM FW was associated with cognitive impairment. These findings suggest that CSVD is associated with a faster increase in WM FW. Hypoperfusion and WM fiber alterations might accelerate FW elevation, which is associated with cognitive decline.