Visual rating method and tensor-based morphometry in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's
Terhi Tuokkola1, Juha Koikkalainen2, Riitta Parkkola3
1Turku PET Centre, Turku University Hospital, Finland University of Turku, Turku, Finland terhi.tuokkola@tyks.fi.
Background:
Atrophy of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) is the main structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) finding in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, evaluating the degree of atrophy is still demanding.
Purpose:
The visual rating method (VRM) was compared with multi-template tensor-based morphometry (TBM), in terms of its efficacy in diagnosing of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD.
Material And Methods:
Forty-seven patients with MCI, 80 patients with AD and 84 controls were studied.
Results:
TBM seems to be more sensitive than VRM at the early stage of dementia in the areas of MTL and ventricles. The methods were equally good in distinguishing controls and the MCI group from the AD group. At the frontal areas TBM was better than VRM in all comparisons.
Conclusion:
A user-friendly VRM is still useful for the clinical evaluation of MCI patients, but multi-template TBM is more sensitive for diagnosing the early stages of dementia. However, TBM is currently too demanding to use for daily clinical work.
Insights
Tensor-based morphometry (TBM) shows higher sensitivity for early Alzheimer's disease (AD) detection than visual rating methods (VRM). While VRM is user-friendly for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), TBM is more effective for early dementia diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Radiology
- Neurology
Background:
- Medial temporal lobe (MTL) atrophy is a key MRI finding in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
- Quantifying MTL atrophy remains challenging in clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare the diagnostic efficacy of visual rating method (VRM) and multi-template tensor-based morphometry (TBM).
- Evaluate methods for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD.
Main Methods:
- Studied 47 MCI patients, 80 AD patients, and 84 controls.
- Utilized VRM and multi-template TBM for structural MRI analysis.
Main Results:
- TBM demonstrated higher sensitivity than VRM for detecting early dementia, particularly in MTL and ventricular regions.
- Both methods effectively distinguished AD patients from controls and MCI.
- TBM outperformed VRM in frontal area comparisons.
Conclusions:
- Multi-template TBM is more sensitive for early dementia diagnosis than VRM.
- VRM remains a useful tool for clinical evaluation of MCI.
- TBM's current demanding nature limits its daily clinical application.
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