Biomarkers

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neuropathology
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Dementia affects over 55 million globally, necessitating urgent diagnostic and therapeutic advancements.
• Current understanding of dementia's neuropathological mechanisms and associated brain structural signatures remains incomplete.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate subcortical grey matter volume alterations as potential diagnostic biomarkers for dementia.
• To identify specific brain regions affected by volumetric changes in dementia patients.

Main Methods:

• Utilized T1-weighted structural brain scans from 152 dementia patients and 152 healthy controls (UK Biobank).
• Analyzed grey matter volumes (GMVs) of the Brain Stem, Thalamus, Caudate, Putamen, Amygdala, Hippocampus, and Pallidum.
• Performed multifactor MANOVA and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, including age and sex as factors.

Main Results:

• Observed significant GMV shrinkage in the Brain Stem, left/right Amygdala, and Hippocampus in dementia patients.
• Detected increased GMVs in the left/right Caudate and Pallidum, attributed to neuroinflammation.
• Achieved 82% diagnostic accuracy in discriminating dementia patients from healthy individuals using a model incorporating volumetric data, age, and sex.

Conclusions:

• Dementia involves both atrophy and inflammation in subcortical grey matter, highlighting neuroinflammation's role in pathogenesis.
• Subcortical GMVs are reliable biomarkers for early dementia detection and diagnosis in clinical settings.
• Findings support timely intervention strategies based on neuroimaging biomarkers.