How early can we predict Alzheimer's disease using computational anatomy?
Stanisław Adaszewski1, Juergen Dukart, Ferath Kherif
1Département des Neurosciences Cliniques, Laboratoire de Recherche en Neuroimagerie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Neurology, Faculty of Electronics and Information Technology, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland.
Neurobiology of Aging
|July 30, 2013
Summary
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect Alzheimer's disease (AD) up to four years earlier than previously thought. This computational anatomy approach identifies brain changes even in preclinical stages, offering new diagnostic possibilities.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Computational Anatomy
- Biomarkers
Background:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- The accuracy of MRI for diagnosing AD across different disease stages remains uncertain.
- Early detection of AD is crucial for effective intervention and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of computational anatomy using structural MRI scans for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- To assess AD detection capabilities from preclinical stages to clinical dementia.
- To explore the dependency of MRI biomarkers on AD staging.
Main Methods:
- Utilized longitudinal data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
- Stratified participants into four groups: AD patients, MCI converters, MCI nonconverters, and healthy controls.
- Employed classical group analyses and machine learning (support vector machine) on structural MRI scans.
Main Results:
- The machine learning classifier detected AD with significant accuracy (above 62%) up to four years before mild cognitive impairment (MCI) conversion.
- Voxel-based analyses revealed a network of hippocampal-temporoparietal atrophy in AD patients.
- Identified a subgroup of controls exhibiting brain structure and cognitive patterns similar to AD.
Conclusions:
- Computational anatomy with MRI can detect Alzheimer's disease (AD) substantially earlier than current models suggest.
- The findings challenge the assumption of a uniform pathological process in clinically identified AD.
- Early detection of AD through neuroimaging may enable earlier therapeutic interventions.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Alzheimer Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Alzheimer disease involves structural changes in the brain that begin long before symptoms appear. The most distinctive features are extracellular neuritic plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles.Neuritic plaques form in the cerebral cortex and around blood vessels. These plaques contain a dense core of beta-amyloid (Aβ)—a toxic protein fragment that clumps outside neurons. The core is surrounded by damaged neuronal extensions, as well as reactive astrocytes and microglia. Abnormal...
01:29Alzheimer Disease l: Introduction
Alzheimer disease is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder and the most common cause of dementia in older adults. It leads to gradual neuronal loss, causing cognitive decline, behavioral changes, and loss of functional independence.Risk Factors and EtiologyThe disease is multifactorial. Age is the strongest risk factor, with prevalence doubling every 5 years after age 65. Genetic factors include mutations in genes such as APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2, which are associated...
01:26Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a continually advancing neurodegenerative disorder, distinguished by escalating memory loss, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia. The disease unfolds in three stages: preclinical, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia. Its onset is insidious, and the progression gradual, with the cause not well explained by other disorders.
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ and tau...
01:22Dementia l: Introduction
Dementia is an acquired, progressive syndrome characterized by a decline in multiple cognitive domains severe enough to impair daily functioning and reduce independence. Although memory loss is a central feature, the diagnosis requires additional deficits involving language, executive function, visuospatial skills, judgment, calculation, or abstract reasoning. These cognitive impairments reflect underlying neurodegenerative or vascular processes that gradually disrupt neuronal networks...