Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of the current study was to assess the feasibility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters for determining the prognosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We also analyzed the correlation among DTI, voxel-based morphometry (VBM), and results of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE).MethodsThe subjects of this prospective study were patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment. We performed annual follow-ups with DTI, VBM, and MMSE for 2 or 3 years. On DTI, the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of the uncinate fascicles were measured. VBM was performed to provide a z-score for the parahippocampal gyrus. The correlations among these factors were evaluated in the same period and the next period of the follow-up study.ResultsFor evaluation of the same period, both DTI parameters and z-scores showed statistically significant correlations with the MMSE score. Also for evaluation of the next period, both DTI parameters and z-scores showed statistically significant correlations with the MMSE score of the next period. We observed a statistically significant correlation between the ADC value of the uncinate fascicles and the z-score of the next period.ConclusionsDiffusion tensor parameters (ADC and FA) of the uncinate fascicles correlated well with cognitive function in the next year and seemed to be feasible for use as biomarkers for predicting the progression of AD. In addition, the white matter changes observed in the ADC seemed to precede changes in the gray matter volume of the parahippocampal gyrus that were represented by z-scores of VBM.
Highlights
Pathological findings of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) include senile plaques with amyloid β deposition, neurofibrillaryTaoka et al SpringerPlus (2016) 5:1023(Perry et al 2013; Yang et al 2012)
We evaluated the correlation among white matter changes with the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) of the uncinate fascicles, volume changes in the parahippocampal cortex with voxel-based morphometry (VBM), and results of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) as a measure of cognitive function in cases in which follow-up Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination including diffusion tensor images (DTI) and volumetric images were obtained for more than 2 years
The correlation plots of these parameters compared with the period are shown in Fig. 3 (a: correlation between FA of the uncinate fascicles and MMSE of the period, b: correlation between ADC of the uncinate fascicles and MMSE of the period, c: correlation between the z-score of the parahippocampal gyrus and MMSE of the period)
Summary
Pathological findings of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) include senile plaques with amyloid β deposition, neurofibrillaryTaoka et al SpringerPlus (2016) 5:1023(Perry et al 2013; Yang et al 2012). Studies on white matter changes in AD were initiated later than those of gray matter, but with the recent development of the diffusion tensor method, studies of white matter changes in AD cases with MRI are in progress (Kiuchi et al 2009; Liu et al 2011; Morikawa et al 2010; Serra et al 2012; Taoka et al 2006, 2009; Yasmin et al 2008; Zhang et al 2009). Because changes in gray matter in AD as described above have been well established, changes in white matter have tended to be interpreted only as secondary changes due to the changes in gray matter (Englund 1998). Whether changes in white matter are only secondary due to gray matter changes in AD remains an open question
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