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Structural MRI discriminates individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment from age-matched controls: a combined
Mehul A Trivedi1, Allison K Wichmann, Britta M Torgerson
1Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Wm. S. Middleton VA Hospital, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Background:
Several previous studies have reported that amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), a significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), is associated with greater atrophy in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG).
Method:
In the present study, we examined the cross-sectional accuracy (i.e., the sensitivity and specificity) of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in discriminating individuals with MCI (n =15) from healthy age-matched controls (n =15). In addition, we also sought to determine whether baseline GM volume predicted aMCI patients that converted to AD from those that did not approximately 2 years after the baseline visit.
Results:
MCI patients were found to display significantly less GM volume in several hypothesized regions including the MTL and PCG relative to the age-matched controls (p < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for GM volume in the anterior MTL and PCG revealed high discriminative accuracy of 87%. By contrast, baseline GM volume in anterior MTL and PCG did not appear to be sensitive to changes in clinical status at the follow-up visit.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that VBM might be useful at characterizing GM volume reductions associated with the diagnosis of aMCI.
Insights
Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) effectively identifies gray matter (GM) volume reductions in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG) for individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). This method shows high accuracy in distinguishing aMCI from healthy controls.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurodegeneration
- Alzheimer's Disease Research
Background:
- Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- Previous studies link aMCI to greater atrophy in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the cross-sectional accuracy of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in discriminating individuals with MCI from healthy controls.
- To determine if baseline gray matter (GM) volume predicts conversion from aMCI to AD.
Main Methods:
- Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to analyze brain structure.
- 15 individuals with MCI and 15 age-matched healthy controls participated.
- Logistic regression and ROC curves assessed discriminative accuracy.
Main Results:
- MCI patients showed significantly less GM volume in the MTL and PCG compared to controls (p < 0.01).
- VBM analysis of anterior MTL and PCG achieved 87% discriminative accuracy.
- Baseline GM volume did not predict clinical status changes at follow-up.
Conclusions:
- VBM is a potentially useful tool for characterizing GM volume reductions in aMCI.
- The findings support VBM's utility in diagnosing aMCI based on structural brain changes.
