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Visualization of Amyloid β Deposits in the Human Brain with Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry
Published on: March 7, 2019
Amyloid-β associated cortical thinning in clinically normal elderly
J Alex Becker1, Trey Hedden, Jeremy Carmasin
1Department of Radiology, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Annals of Neurology
|March 26, 2011
Summary
Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition is linked to brain atrophy in cognitively normal individuals. This suggests Aβ accumulation precedes cognitive decline and brain structure changes characteristic of AD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition and brain atrophy.
- These pathological changes often begin years before clinical symptoms manifest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if amyloid-β deposition in cognitively normal (CN) older adults correlates with brain structure changes similar to those in AD.
- Utilizing Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Main Methods:
- 119 participants (87 CN, 32 mild AD) underwent PiB PET and high-resolution MRI.
- Regression models analyzed the relationship between PiB retention, cortical thickness, and hippocampal volume.
Main Results:
- In CN subjects, PiB retention was age-related and associated with reduced cortical thickness in AD-relevant regions (parietal, posterior cingulate, precuneus).
- This pattern of cortical thinning mirrored that seen in mild AD patients.
- Hippocampal volume reduction showed a variable association with Aβ deposition.
Conclusions:
- Amyloid-β deposition is associated with cortical thinning patterns characteristic of Alzheimer's disease even before cognitive impairment is evident.
- These findings highlight Aβ deposition as an early indicator of AD-related neurodegeneration.
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