Association of hippocampal subfield volumes with amyloid‐beta deposition in Alzheimer’s disease

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AbstractBackgroundCharacteristic atrophy patterns of hippocampal subfield volumes and cortical amyloid‐beta (Aβ) deposition are two important neuroimaging biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We investigated the relationship between hippocampal subfield volumes and cortical Aβ deposition in AD.MethodFifty participants (11 cognitively unimpaired [CU], 10 with mild cognitive impairment [MCI], and 29 with AD) who underwent 18F‐florbetaben positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and neuropsychological tests were enrolled. The hippocampal subfield volumes were obtained using an automated brain volumetry system with the Winterburn atlas and were compared among the diagnostic groups, and the correlations with the Aβ deposition and AD risk factors were determined.ResultPatients with MCI and AD showed decreased volume in the stratum radiatum/lacunosum/moleculare (SRLM) of the cornu ammonis (CA)1 and CA4‐dentate gyrus (DG) than the CU. Decreased SRLM and CA4‐DG volumes were associated with an increased Aβ deposition in the global cortex (R = ‐0.459, p = 0.001; R = ‐0.393, p = 0.005, respectively). The SRLM and CA4‐DG volumes aided in the distinction of AD from CU (areas under the receiver operating characteristic [AUROC] curve = 0.957 and 0.930 respectively, p < 0.001), and Aβ+ from Aβ‐ individuals (AUROC curve = 0.763 and 0.763, respectively, p < 0.001).ConclusionHippocampal subfield volumes demonstrated potential as imaging biomarkers in the diagnosis and detection of AD and Aβ deposition, respectively.