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Do 2-year changes in superior frontal gyrus and global brain atrophy affect cognition?
Maria Del C Valdés Hernández1,2,3, Stuart Reid4, Shadia Mikhael1
1Department of Neuroimaging Sciences, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Introduction:
Metabolic alterations to the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) have been linked to cognitive decline. Whether these indicate structural atrophy, which could be screened for at a larger scale using noninvasive structural imaging, is unknown.
Methods:
We assessed annual structural magnetic resonance imaging scans and cognitive data from 3 consecutive years from 204 participants from the AD Neuroimaging Initiative database (mean age 72.24 [8.175] years). We evaluated associations between brain structural changes and performance in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Everyday Cognition Visuospatial subtest (ECog Visuospatial), and Functional Assessment Questionnaire.
Results:
Changes in the surface area of the SFG were associated with changes in the outcome of the ECog Visuospatial test (P < .05), but an inconsistent pattern of association was found between the 2-year global brain atrophy progression and changes in the outcome from the three cognitive tests selected.
Discussion:
The extent into which (and if) changes in the SFG influence cognition warrant further evaluation in a larger period in more heterogeneous population.
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