Corpus Callosum Shape and Size Changes in Early Alzheimer's Disease: A Longitudinal MRI Study Using the OASIS Brain Database

Abstract

Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been shown to be associated with shrinkage of the corpus callosum mid-sagittal cross-sectional area (CCA). Objective To study temporal rates of corpus callosum atrophy not previously reported for early AD. Methods We used longitudinal MRI scans to study the rates of change of CCA and circularity (CIR), a measure of its shape, in normal controls (NC, n = 75), patients with very mild AD (AD-VM, n = 51), and mild AD (AD-M, n = 21). Results There were significant reduction rates in CCA and CIR in all three groups. While CCA reduction rates were not statistically different between groups, the CIR declined faster in AD-VM (p < 0.03) and AD-M (p < 0.0001) relative to NC, and in AD-M relative to AD-VM (p < 0.0004). Conclusion CIR declines at an accelerated rate with AD severity. Its rate of change is more closely associated with AD progression than CCA or any of its sub-regions. CIR may be a useful group biomarker for objective assessment of treatments that aim to slow AD progression.

Corpus Callosum Atrophy Rate in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease

“…1a) and has been shown to be highly correlated with CC volume, which is less easily measured because the lateral extents of the CC are not well-defined. Thus, the majority of CC studies in various conditions [7, 8, 14, 17, 20, 26] and nearly all proposed CC segmentation methods [27–31] target its mid-sagittal cross-sectional region.…”

“…(4) Patient populations have been diverse ranging from subjective memory complaints, to mild cognitive impairment, to mild, moderate, and advanced AD. (5) Normal aging may also involve callosal atrophy [8]. Clearly, there are a number of factors that can reduce the sensitivity of measures of CC morphology in cross-sectional studies.…”

“…In addition, longitudinal studies allow estimation of the rates of CC atrophy. Despite these obvious advantages it appears that only three longitudinal studies of CC morphology in AD exist [8, 12, 39], with somewhat inconsistent findings.…”

Corpus callosum area in patients with bipolar disorder with and without psychotic features: an international multicentre study

“…These methods are described in depth elsewhere. 29,30 The first step is the localization of the mid-sagittal plane using a method designed to reduce the potential effects of head tilt. The second step is the localization of the anterior and posterior commissures on the mid-sagittal plane.…”

P3‐280: Thalamic Shape and Cognitive Performance in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…Indeed, several researchers employing this methodology have reported that patients with neurocognitive disorder exhibit shape changes in the hippocampus, corpus callosum, thalamus, and other subcortical structures. [8][9][10][11] Several studies have demonstrated a close relationship between substructural deformations in the hippocampus and dysfunction of specific cognitive domains in aMCI. 9,[12][13][14] However, there is insufficient data regarding structural alterations of the thalamus in patients with aMCI.…”