Six-month atrophy in MTL structures is associated with subsequent memory decline in elderly controls - PubMed (original) (raw)

Six-month atrophy in MTL structures is associated with subsequent memory decline in elderly controls

E A Murphy et al. Neuroimage. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

Neurodegeneration precedes the onset of dementias such as Alzheimer's by several years. Recent advances in volumetric imaging allow quantification of subtle neuroanatomical change over time periods as short as six months. This study investigates whether neuroanatomical change in medial temporal lobe subregions is associated with later memory decline in elderly controls. Using high-resolution, T1-weighted magnetic resonance images acquired at baseline and six-month follow-up, change in cortical thickness and subcortical volumes was measured in 142 healthy elderly subjects (aged 59-90 years) from the ADNI cohort. Regression analysis was used to identify whether change in fourteen subregions, selected a priori, was associated with declining performance on memory tests from baseline to two-year follow-up. Percent thickness change in the right fusiform and inferior temporal cortices and expansion of the right inferior lateral ventricle were found to be significant predictors of subsequent decline on memory-specific neuropsychological measures. These results demonstrate that six-month regional neurodegeneration can be quantified in the healthy elderly and might help identify those at risk for subsequent cognitive decline.

Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Neuroanatomical change between baseline and 6-month follow-up visits across medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions. All volumes were normalized to baseline. Data points represent mean volumes for all subjects who retained a diagnosis of cognitively normal over the two-year follow-up (solid lines, n=135) and for those subjects who converted to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) during the follow-up (dashed lines, n=7). Error bars represent standard error of the mean. A mean loss in volume was seen in all medial temporal lobe regions, with the exception of the inferior lateral ventricle, in which there was mean expansion.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Six-month neuroanatomical change overlaid on baseline brain images for three sample subjects using a heat-scale color mapping where blue represents shrinkage and red represents expansion. Subject A was a 77 year-old female who retained a diagnosis of cognitively normal throughout the two-year follow-up period. Subject B was a 77 year-old female who converted to a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at the six-month follow-up. Subject C was a 79 year-old male who converted to a diagnosis of MCI at the 24-month follow-up.

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