MRI-based comparative study of different mild cognitive impairment subtypes: protocol for an observational...

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging and Neurology
• Cognitive Science
• Medical Research

Background:

• Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) presents as amnestic (aMCI) or vascular (VaMCI) subtypes.
• aMCI typically progresses to Alzheimer's disease, while VaMCI may lead to vascular dementia.
• Distinct neurobiological differences between aMCI and VaMCI remain largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare brain structural and functional differences between aMCI and VaMCI patients.
• To utilize multimodality MRI to analyze neuroimaging data for differentiating MCI subtypes.
• To establish a neuroimaging basis for distinguishing between aMCI and VaMCI.

Main Methods:

• Recruitment of 80 aMCI, 80 VaMCI, and 80 normal controls (NCs).
• Comprehensive neuroimaging using structural MRI (sMRI), resting-state functional MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
• Neuropsychological evaluations including MMSE, MoCA, AVLT, MES, and CDR scale.

Main Results:

• Analysis of microstructural alterations via multimodal MRI.
• Assessment of cognitive functions including memory, attention, and executive function.
• Comparison of neuroimaging and cognitive profiles between aMCI, VaMCI, and NC groups.

Conclusions:

• This study will provide critical insights into the neurobiological distinctions between aMCI and VaMCI.
• Findings are expected to aid in the differential diagnosis and understanding of MCI subtypes.
• The research may inform future therapeutic strategies targeting specific MCI pathways.