Potential Role of Diffusion Tensor MRI in the Differential Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease

Parente, Daniella Braz; Gasparetto, Emerson L.; Cruz, Luiz Celso Hygino da; Domingues, R. C.; Baptista, Ana Célia; Carvalho, Antônio Carlos Pires; Domingues, Romeu Côrtes

doi:10.2214/ajr.07.2617

Cited by 73 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Furthermore, the findings of studies on more homogeneous patients, such as those with mild AD, are discrepant. For example, Xie et al [82] found a decrease of FA in the genu and left anterior body of the CC, whereas Ulkmar et al [83] found a decrease of FA in the genu and splenium of the CC; other studies [84][85][86][87] found no differences in the CC in patients with mild AD.…”

Section: Diffusion-weighted Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At present, the DTI study results on MCI patients can be divided into two groups: 1) DTI studies on both amnesic and MCI "all subtypes" [23,40,41,84,85,88] that found no differences in MD and/or in FA in the CC compared with HC; and 2) the most recent studies [83,86,[89][90][91], which reported differences. One study on MCI "all subtypes" [89] found a significant change in MD and FA in the genu and the splenium of the CC in patients compared with HC.…”

Section: Diffusion-weighted Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study on MCI "all subtypes" [89] found a significant change in MD and FA in the genu and the splenium of the CC in patients compared with HC. Moreover, studies on amnesic MCI [83,86,90] mainly found a decreased FA and/or increased MD value in the splenium of the CC. Wang and colleagues [91] also reported a decreased FA value in the genu and the splenium and increased ADC in the genu of the CC (see Table 3 for technical details of the study).…”

Section: Diffusion-weighted Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In Vivo Structural Neuroanatomy of Corpus Callosum in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Different MRI Techniques: A Review

Paola

Spalletta

Caltagirone

2010

JAD

128

103

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Abstract. The corpus callosum (CC), which connects the two cerebral hemispheres, is the largest white matter fiber bundle in the human brain. This structure presents a peculiar myelination pattern: it has small diameter fibers, located in the genu, which myelinate much later in normal development, and large diameter fibers of the splenium, which myelinate early in development. Although the pathology of AD mainly involves the cerebral gray matter structure, there is evidence that white matter may also be involved. To illustrate callosal white matter changes in AD pathology, in this review we summarize in vivo imaging studies in humans, focusing on region of interest, voxel-based morphometry, diffusion-weighted imaging, and diffusion tensor imaging techniques. Our aims were to identify where in the CC, when in the different stages of AD, and how callosal changes can be detected with different MRI techniques. Results showed that changes in the anterior (genu and anterior body) as well as in the posterior (isthmus and splenum) portions of the CC might already be present in the early stages of AD. These findings support the hypothesis that two mechanisms, Wallerian degeneration and myelin breakdown, might be responsible for the region-specific changes detected in AD patients. Wallerian degeneration affects the posterior CC subregion, which receives axons directly from those brain areas (temporo-parietal lobe regions) primarily affected by the AD pathology. Instead, the myelin breakdown process affects the later-myelinating CC subregion and explains the earlier involvement of the genu in CC atrophy.

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Section: Diffusion-weighted Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Diffusion-weighted Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Diffusion-weighted Imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In Vivo Structural Neuroanatomy of Corpus Callosum in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Different MRI Techniques: A Review

Paola

Spalletta

Caltagirone

2010

JAD

128

103

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“…2 The FA and MD values in patients with AD have been measured in several studies. While many studies have consistently demonstrated reduced FA and increased MD values in the hippocampus and temporal, frontal, and parietal lobes of patients with AD, [1][2][3][4][5] only a few studies have reported changes of the microstructural WM in patients with hydrocephalus by using DTI. 6,7 Moreover, it is not known whether the hippocampus is susceptible to iNPH.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in Microstructural Alterations of the Hippocampus in Alzheimer Disease and Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

Hong¹,

Yoon²,

Shim³

et al. 2010

AJNR Am J Neuroradiol

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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: DTI can be used to assess the degradation of WM tracts by measuring the FA and MD. Decreased FA/increased MD values in the AD hippocampus have been reported by many studies. In contrast, only a few studies reported on hydrocephalus by using the DTI technique. In elderly patients with dementia and with dilated ventricles, it is often difficult to differentiate iNPH from AD with visual measurements on MR imaging. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of microstructural integrity of the hippocampus in iNPH by using DTI and determining whether this method could be a new diagnostic tool to differentiate iNPH from AD.

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“…Similarly Wang et al (2009) and DiPaola et al (2010), using voxel based morphometry (VBM), identified a density reduction in the genu in aMCI patients compared with healthy controls. Other researchers like Ukmar et al (2008), Cho et al (2008) or Parente et al (2008) found an AF reduction in MCI patients in the CC splenium. The splenium of the corpus callosum, crux of the fornix (Zhuang et al, 2010) and the cingulum were sensitive discriminators to differentiante between aMCI and normal subjects (Chua et al, 2009).…”

Section: Diffusion Tensor Imaging (Dti)mentioning

confidence: 86%

Currently Available Neuroimaging Approaches in Alzheimer Disease (AD) Early Diagnosis

Ortiz-Terán¹,

Santos²,

Martín³

et al. 2011

The Clinical Spectrum of Alzheimer's Disease -the Charge Toward Comprehensive Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies

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Computerized Tomography (CT)Nowadays CT is not considered a standard technique for diagnosing AD, least of all in early stages. Its main usefulness is in differential diagnosis since it is less expensive, faster and more widely available than MRI. CT allows ruling out some clinical situations which lead to MEGMeasures magnetic fields and, indirectly, yields rather precise information about brain electrical activity CT = computerized tomography; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; fMRI = functional magnetic resonance imaging; DTI = diffusion tensor imaging; SPECT = single-photon emission computed tomography; PET = positron emission tomography; MEG = magnetoencephalography; BOLD = blood oxygen level-dependent; NAA = N-acetyl aspartate; Cr = Creatinine; AD = Alzheimer's disease Table 1. Typical findings of different brain imaging methods used in AD and MCI diagnosis Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) 1.2.1 Structural MRIThis technique provides the best possible spatial resolution. Given the fact the most robust neuroimaging finding in AD is the atrophy of mesial temporal structures, structural MRI is the most widely used approach. Hippocampal atrophy is another well known finding, but atrophy within other brain areas has also been described in entorrhinal cortex, amygdala, basal ganglia (nucleus basalis of Meynert), thalamus and bilateral parietal cortex. It is relevant to mention here that in terms of early diagnosis some consider the entorrhinal cortex as the earliest area affected by AD. Other researchers have stated that the nucleus basalis of Meynert is a key structure in AD early diagnosis (Herholz et al, 2004;Grothe et al, 2010). Functional MRI (fMRI)fMRI provides signal intensities images associated with a relative cerebral blood flow during cognitive tasks. Resting and activation functional MRI studies have showed a lesser coordinated activity in the hippocampus, inferior parietal lobes -both bilaterally-and cingulate cortex in patients with AD. This neuroimaging technique is nowadays used to monitor AD patients' treatment. Combining genetic risk with functional MRI memory task paradigms has shown to be a very accurate pre-symptomatic predictor of cognitive decline. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)DTI allows visualizing neuronal connectivity or, more precisely, local fiber orientation and white matter tracts integrity. Patients with AD show decreased fiber density in temporal white matter, probably related to the medial temporal grey matter atrophy, as well as in the splenium of the corpus callosum. www.intechopen.com Currently Available Neuroimaging Approaches in Alzheimer Disease (AD) Early Diagnosis 149In mild cognitive impairment (MCI), however, this decreased fiber density has been located in the anterior part of the corpus callosum. SpectroscopyIt provides information on tissue substrate or metabolite concentrations. Specifically the Nacetyl aspartate (NAA) has been used as a biomarker of neuronal death, and it has been demonstrated that in patients with MCI and AD is significantly reduced compared to hea...

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Potential Role of Diffusion Tensor MRI in the Differential Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease

Cited by 73 publications

References 26 publications

In Vivo Structural Neuroanatomy of Corpus Callosum in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Different MRI Techniques: A Review

In Vivo Structural Neuroanatomy of Corpus Callosum in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Different MRI Techniques: A Review

Differences in Microstructural Alterations of the Hippocampus in Alzheimer Disease and Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

Currently Available Neuroimaging Approaches in Alzheimer Disease (AD) Early Diagnosis

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