Cortical thickness in single- versus multiple-domain amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) can be classified into single domain (S-aMCI) and multiple domain (M-aMCI) subtypes. However, there have been no studies that specifically investigate the structural differences that support this classification. In an attempt to compare regional cortical thickness in two subtypes of aMCI, we aimed to map the distribution of cortical thinning using a surface based cortical analysis of magnetic resonance imaging. The cortical thickness across the entire brain was measured in 9 patients with S-aMCI, 22 patients with M-aMCI, and 61 normal healthy subjects. Differences in the patterns of cortical thinning between S-aMCI and M-aMCI were assessed using ANCOVA on a vertex-by-vertex basis, and statistical maps of differences in cortical thickness between the groups were constructed using a surface model. Relative to controls, S-aMCI patients showed cortical thinning in the left medial temporal lobe, and M-aMCI patients showed cortical thinning in the left medial temporal lobe, precuneus, and anterior and inferior basal temporal, insular, and temporal association cortices. When the two MCI groups were directly compared, M-aMCI patients showed cortical thinning in left precuneus. Our studies suggest that M-aMCI is a transitional state between S-aMCI and Alzheimer's disease, and that the cortical thinning is evidence that the precuneus is responsible for the multiple cognitive impairments in M-aMCI.