Changes in deep brain tissue signal an increased risk.

2003 AUG 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Changes in the brain's white matter, a common occurrence among the elderly, increase a person's risk of having multiple strokes, according to a new report.

White matter is the inner part of the brain through which most of the brain's nerve connections pass. Leukoaraiosis - the scattered loss of white matter in the brain - is particularly associated with strokes caused by blockages in small arteries deep in the brain (lacunar strokes).

"These small strokes can be devastating when they hit strategic connections," said lead author Jonathan Y. Streifler, MD, director of the neurology unit at the Rabin Medical Center …