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Published on: June 26, 2013
Discovering Subtypes with Imaging Signatures in the Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome Consortium using
Bhargav Teja Nallapu1, Ali Ezzati2, Helena M Blumen3,4
1Department of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, New York, 10461, USA.
Introduction:
Understanding the heterogeneity of brain structure in individuals with the Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome (MCR) may improve the current risk assessments of dementia.
Methods:
We used data from 6 cohorts from the MCR consortium (N=1987). A weakly-supervised clustering algorithm called HYDRA was applied to volumetric MRI measures to identify distinct subgroups in the population with gait speeds lower than one standard deviation (1SD) above mean.
Results:
Three subgroups (Groups A, B & C) were identified through MRI-based clustering with significant differences in regional brain volumes, gait speeds, and performance on Trail Making (Part-B) and Free and Cued Selective Reminding Tests.
Discussion:
Based on structural MRI, our results reflect heterogeneity in the population with moderate and slow gait, including those with MCR. Such a data-driven approach could help pave new pathways toward dementia at-risk stratification and have implications for precision health for patients.
