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A Comprehensive Protocol for Manual Segmentation of the Medial Temporal Lobe Structures
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Effect of white matter hyperintensity on medial temporal lobe atrophy in Alzheimer's disease

Jae-Won Jang1, Sangyun Kim, Hye Yeon Na

  • 1Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.

European Neurology
|January 25, 2013
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) do not cause medial temporal lobe atrophy. However, periventricular WMH (PWMH) are linked to reduced hippocampal volume in AD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Alzheimer's Disease Research

Background:

  • Medial temporal atrophy (MTA) is a key indicator of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  • White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are commonly detected via MRI in AD patients.
  • The relationship between WMH and MTA requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and medial temporal atrophy (MTA) in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  • To determine if different types of WMH (deep vs. periventricular) have distinct effects on brain structures in AD.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized MRI scans from 94 probable AD patients and 51 cognitively normal controls.
  • Assessed white matter hyperintensities (WMH) severity, categorizing into deep WMH (DWMH) and periventricular WMH (PWMH).
  • Employed the Individual Brain Atlases from the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) Toolbox for structural volume analysis.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in general cognitive function were observed between subjects with and without WMH.
  • AD patients with WMH showed reduced volumes in frontal regions, but not in medial temporal lobes.
  • Periventricular WMH (PWMH), after adjusting for covariates, correlated with reduced hippocampal volumes in AD patients.
  • Deep WMH (DWMH) did not show any association with reductions in medial temporal lobe volumes.

Conclusions:

  • White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are not associated with medial temporal lobe atrophy in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  • Periventricular WMH (PWMH) demonstrate an independent correlation with hippocampal volume reduction in AD.
  • The findings differentiate the impact of WMH subtypes on specific brain structures in AD.

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