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Updated: May 21, 2026

Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
Decreased gray matter diffusivity: a potential early Alzheimer's disease biomarker?
Heidi I L Jacobs1, Martin P J van Boxtel, Ed H B M Gronenschild
1Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Alzheimer Center Limburg, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. h.jacobs@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Background:
Gray matter atrophy, an important biomarker for early Alzheimer's disease, might be due to white matter changes within gray matter.
Methods:
Twenty older participants with significant memory decline over a 12-year period (T12) were matched to 20 nondeclining participants. All participants were magnetic resonance imaging scanned at T12. Cortical thickness and diffusion tensor imaging analyses were performed.
Results:
Lower cortical thickness values were associated with lower diffusion values in frontal and parietal gray matter areas. This association was only present in the memory decline group. The cortical thickness-diffusion tensor imaging correlations showed significant group differences in the posterior cingulate gyrus, precuneus, and superior frontal gyrus.
Conclusions:
Decreased gray matter diffusivity in the posterior cingulate/precuneus area might be a disease-specific process and a potential new biomarker for early Alzheimer's disease. Future studies should validate its potential as a biomarker and focus on cellular changes underlying diffusivity changes in gray matter.
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