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Automatic temporal lobe atrophy assessment in prodromal AD: Data from the DESCRIPA study
Andrea Chincarini1, Paolo Bosco2, Gianluca Gemme1
1Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Genova, Genova, Italy.
Alzheimer'S & Dementia : the Journal of the Alzheimer'S Association
|September 17, 2013
Summary
This study validates an automatic measure of medial temporal lobe atrophy in memory clinic patients. The tool shows promise in assisting clinical classification using magnetic resonance imaging data.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Medical Imaging
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Clinical validation of research tools is crucial for reliable diagnostic aids.
- Medial temporal lobe atrophy is a key indicator in neurodegenerative diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate an automated medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTLA) measurement tool.
- To assess the tool's performance on a naturalistic population from European memory clinics.
Main Methods:
- Developed an automated atrophy assessment procedure on 1.5-T MRI from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
- Validated the procedure on the independent DESCRIPA study dataset.
- Classified subjects into converters and non-converters based on clinical outcomes.
Main Results:
- Achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.81 for all converters versus non-converters.
- Obtained an AUC of 0.90 for subjects with subjective memory complaints who converted versus all converters.
- Classification performance exceeded that of training on controls versus Alzheimer's disease when training on mild cognitive impairment cohorts.
Conclusions:
- Automated MRI analysis can aid clinical classification in memory clinics.
- The tool is effective even with MRI data not specifically acquired for automated analysis.
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