Abstract
Cholinergic neurons within the basal forebrain are assumed to be an early (preclinical) manifestation site of pathological changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We used morphometric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect and quantify atrophic changes in the basal forebrain of subjects suffering from amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Three Tesla magnetic resonance (MR) data of 26 aMCI patients, 46 cognitively normal elderly control subjects (CO), and 12 patients suffering from Alzheimer's dementia were analyzed, including segmentation and quantification of brain tissue as well as a segmentation of basal forebrain structures (substantia innominata [SI]). We found the volume of the SI to be significantly different between groups in that control subjects showed the largest SI volumes, followed by aMCI and AD patients. These results are in line with the hypothesis that cell loss within the cholinergic basal forebrain regions occurs already in the early (predementia) stage of AD. In vivo quantification of these changes might be of use as a novel neuroimaging marker of cholinergic neurodegeneration in AD.
Highlights
Cholinergic dysfunction plays an important role in the cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (1)
We found the volume of the substantia innominata (SI) to be significantly different between groups, in that control subjects showed the largest SI-volumes, followed by amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and AD-patients
In control subjects SI-extent was the largest (0.25 ± 0.065 ccm), followed by a considerable loss of substance in the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) group (0.19 ± 0.050 ccm; -24% compared to controls) and a pronounced atrophy of the SI in the AD group (0.12 ± 0.032 ccm; -52% compared to controls)
Summary
Cholinergic dysfunction plays an important role in the cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (1). Aim: We used morphometric MRI to detect and quantify atrophic changes in the basal forebrain of subjects suffering from amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Method: 3 Tesla MR data of 26 aMCI patients, 46 cognitively normal elderly controls (CO), and 12 patients suffering from Alzheimer’s dementia were analyzed, including segmentation and quantification of brain tissue as well as a segmentation of basal forebrain structures (substantia innominata, SI). Conclusion: These results are in line with the hypothesis that cell loss within the cholinergic basal forebrain regions occurs already in the early (predementia) stage of AD.
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