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Regional atrophy is associated with impairment in distinct cognitive domains in Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Smits Lieke L.,
Tijms Betty M.,
Benedictus Marije R.,
Koedam Esther L.G. E.,
Koene Teddy,
Reuling Ilona E.W.,
Barkhof Frederik,
Scheltens Philip,
Pijnenburg Yolande A.L.,
Wattjes Mike P.,
Flier Wiesje M.
Publication year - 2014
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.2013.06.007
Subject(s) - audiology , atrophy , cognition , magnetic resonance imaging , posterior cortical atrophy , psychology , cognitive impairment , dementia , executive functions , alzheimer's disease , medicine , disease , neuroscience , radiology
Background In Alzheimer's disease (AD), some patients present with cognitive impairment other than episodic memory disturbances. We evaluated whether occurrence of posterior atrophy (PA) and medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) could account for differences in cognitive domains affected. Methods In 329 patients with AD, we assessed five cognitive domains: memory, language, visuospatial functioning, executive functioning, and attention. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was rated visually for the presence of MTA and PA. Two‐way analyses of variance were performed with MTA and PA as independent variables, and cognitive domains as dependent variables. Gender, age, and education were covariates. As PA is often encountered in younger patients, analyses were repeated after stratification for age of onset (early onset, ≤ 65 years). Results The mean age of the participants was 67 years, 175 (53%) were female, and the mean Mini‐Mental State Examination (score ± standard deviation) was 20 ± 5 points. Based on dichotomized magnetic resonance imaging ratings, 84 patients (26%) had MTA and PA, 98 (30%) had MTA, 57 (17%) had PA, and 90 (27%) had neither. MTA was associated with worse performance on memory, language, and attention (all, P < .05), and PA was associated with worse performance on visuospatial and executive functioning (both, P < .05). Stratification for age showed in patients with late‐onset AD (n = 173) associations between MTA and impairment on memory, language, visuospatial functioning, and attention (all, P < .05); in early‐onset AD (n = 156), patients with PA tended to perform worse on visuospatial functioning. Conclusions Regional atrophy is related to impairment in specific cognitive domains in AD. The prevalence of PA in a large set of patients with AD and its association with cognitive functioning provides support for the usefulness of this visual rating scale in the diagnostic evaluation of AD.