Quantitative MRI Differences Between Early versus Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease

Investigators report greater parietal tau deposition and alternate frontoparietal network involvement in early onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD) with onset <65 years as compared with typical late onset AD (LOAD). To determine whether clinical brain MRI volumes reflect these differences in EOAD compared with LOAD. This study investigated the clinical MRI scans of 45 persons with Clinically Probable AD with onset <65 years, and compared them to 32 with Clinically Probable AD with onset ≥65 years. Brain volumes on their T1 MRI scans were quantified with a volumetric program. Receiver operating curve analyses were performed. Persons with EOAD had significantly smaller parietal lobes (volumetric percentiles) than LOAD. Late onset Alzheimer's Disease had a smaller left putamen and hippocampus. Area Under the Curve was 96.5% with brain region delineation of EOAD compared to LOAD. This study indicates parietal atrophy less than 30% of normal on clinical MRI scans is suggestive of EOAD compared to LOAD.