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IC‐P‐012: Correlating imaging with language impairment in degenerative dementias: How well do PIB and FDG‐PET match behavior?
Author(s) -
Chertkow Howard
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2011.05.029
Subject(s) - primary progressive aphasia , pittsburgh compound b , tauopathy , atrophy , positron emission tomography , pathology , grey matter , dementia , medicine , entorhinal cortex , frontotemporal lobar degeneration , psychology , magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear medicine , frontotemporal dementia , white matter , neuroscience , hippocampal formation , neurodegeneration , radiology , disease
been less well investigated in EOAD and LOAD. A prior study reported greater amygdalar atrophy in LOAD than EOAD, although local structural differences have never been studied. The aim of this study was to assess shape differences in the amygdala between EOAD and LOAD patients. Methods: Seven EOAD (age: 6265SD, MMSE: 1864 SD) and 7 LOAD (age: 7866, MMSE: 2065) patients were enrolled together with 1:1 ageand sex-matched controls. The 3D amygdalar shape was reconstructed with the Radial Atrophy Mapping technique, based on manual segmentations. Shape differences were investigated between EOAD and LOAD patients and their age-matched control groups. Permutation testing was used to correct the statistical maps for multiple comparisons. A 3D amygdala model constructed from histological sections was used to infer which anatomical nuclei were involved. Results: Both EOAD and LOAD patients showed significantly lower amygdala volumes than their age-matched control groups (EOAD: p<0.04 for the right and p<0.004 for the left amygdala;LOAD: p<0.001 for both hemispheres). Amygdalar shape differences in EOADwere detected in the dorsal and ventral central (Ce) and cortical nuclei (anterior andposterior) bilaterally with a 20-30% deficit. Ventrally, the main reduction was detected in the basolateral ventral medial (BLVM) and the lateral (La) nuclei (30%; permutation test: p<0.01). LOAD patients showed significant shape differences in the La, BLVM and Ce nuclei mainly in the dorsal amygdala bilaterally, with tissue deficits of up to 30%. Conclusions: Both patient groups showed significant atrophy of the amygdala. Shape differences common to both groups were located in the nuclei projecting to the entorhinal cortex, hippocampus (La and BLVM), and nucleus basalis of Meynert (Ce). EOAD patients showed additional atrophy in nuclei connecting to neocortical areas (Pco and Aco). This involvement of the amygdalar nuclei may be related to their connectivity with cortical regions that are known to degenerate differentially in EOAD and LOAD patients.