Open AccessEarly alteration of the locus coeruleus in phenotypic variants of Alzheimer’s disease
Author(s) -
Olivieri Pauline,
Lagarde Julien,
Lehericy Stéphane,
Valabrègue Romain,
Michel Adeline,
Macé Pierre,
Caillé Fabien,
Gervais Philippe,
Bottlaender Michel,
Sarazin Marie
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
annals of clinical and translational neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.824
H-Index - 42
ISSN - 2328-9503
DOI - 10.1002/acn3.50818
Subject(s) - locus coeruleus , tauopathy , medicine , neuroscience , disease , alzheimer's disease , phenotype , pathophysiology , pathology , central nervous system , neurodegeneration , biology , genetics , gene
Neuropathological studies showed early locus coeruleus (LC) neuronal loss associated with tauopathy in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). We used the LC signal intensity (LC‐I) on 3T MRI to assess the LC integrity in AD ( n = 37) and controls ( n = 17). The LC‐I was decreased in AD regardless of typical (amnesic) and atypical presentation (logopenic aphasia/visuo‐spatial deficit), from the prodromal stage, and independently of the amyloid load measured by PiB‐PET. The LC‐I was correlated with memory performance of typical AD. This supports the pathophysiological model in which the LC plays a critical role in AD and may thus be a potential therapeutic target.