Multi-domain cognition dysfunction accompanies frontoparietal and temporal amyloid accumulation in the elderly

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neurology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology involves amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation.
• Understanding the relationship between regional Aβ deposition and cognitive function is crucial for AD diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the association between regional Aβ accumulation and various cognitive domains.
• To evaluate the diagnostic utility of Aβ accumulation patterns in distinguishing between cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD groups.

Main Methods:

• 135 participants underwent 18F-florbetapir Positron Emission Tomography (PET), structural MRI, and cognitive assessments.
• Partial correlation analysis examined relationships between Aβ load and cognition.
• Support vector machine (SVM) was used for classification between diagnostic groups.

Main Results:

• Aβ accumulation was prominent in frontoparietal cortex, calcarine fissure, and temporal pole regions.
• Episodic memory, executive function, and processing speed were differentially associated with regional Aβ.
• SVM analysis revealed that episodic memory-related Aβ accumulation regions showed superior classification performance in AD progression.

Conclusions:

• Regional Aβ deposition, particularly in frontoparietal areas, correlates with cognitive deficits in AD.
• Episodic memory-associated Aβ patterns are key indicators for distinguishing AD stages.
• Assessing regional Aβ changes offers potential for early AD detection and monitoring cognitive decline.