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A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment
12:18

A Machine Learning Approach to Design an Efficient Selective Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Published on: January 11, 2020

Cognitive decline and amyloid accumulation in patients with mild cognitive impairment

Jaana Koivunen1, Mira Karrasch, Noora M Scheinin

  • 1Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.

Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders
|August 8, 2012
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

In mild cognitive impairment (MCI), baseline amyloid-beta deposition measured by (11)C-Pittsburgh compound B ((11)C-PIB) PET predicts cognitive decline. Higher uptake in certain brain regions correlated with faster memory and executive function decline.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Neurology
  • Alzheimer's Disease Research

Background:

  • Investigating the link between amyloid-beta plaque burden and cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
  • Utilizing (11)C-Pittsburgh compound B ((11)C-PIB) positron emission tomography (PET) to quantify amyloid deposition.
  • Examining individuals with MCI who either progressed to Alzheimer's disease (AD) or remained stable.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the relationship between baseline (11)C-PIB uptake and subsequent cognitive decline over a 2-year period.
  • To identify specific brain regions where amyloid accumulation predicts cognitive deterioration in prodromal AD.

Main Methods:

  • Baseline (11)C-PIB PET scans and cognitive assessments were performed on 16 patients (9 converters to AD, 7 non-converters).
  • Quantitative regional (11)C-PIB uptake was analyzed using automated region of interest analysis on spatially normalized parametric ratio images.
  • Cognitive function was reassessed at a 2-year follow-up.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in baseline (11)C-PIB uptake were observed between converters and non-converters, but not in cognitive performance.
  • Cognitive decline, specifically in memory and executive functions, was evident only in the MCI patients who converted to AD.
  • In converters, lower baseline frontal (11)C-PIB uptake correlated with faster verbal learning decline.
  • Higher baseline uptake in the caudate nucleus was linked to accelerated memory consolidation decline.
  • Increased temporal lobe (11)C-PIB uptake was associated with a decline in executive functions.

Conclusions:

  • Baseline amyloid-beta accumulation, as measured by (11)C-PIB PET, predicts cognitive decline in MCI patients.
  • Higher (11)C-PIB uptake in the caudate nucleus and temporal lobe is associated with declines in memory and executive functions.
  • Lower frontal (11)C-PIB uptake is linked to a faster decline in verbal learning.
  • Frontal amyloid deposition may reach its peak during the MCI stage, preceding the onset of overt dementia in AD.

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