Premium
[P2–354]: COMPARISON OF HYPOMETABOLISM AND CORTICAL ATROPHY IN PRIMARY PROGRESSIVE APHASIA
Author(s) -
Adamczuk Katarzyna,
Collins Jessica,
Makaretz Sara,
Stepanovic Michael,
Quimby Megan,
Dickerson Bradford C.
Publication year - 2017
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.2017.06.1008
Subject(s) - primary progressive aphasia , atrophy , posterior cortical atrophy , aphasia , neuroimaging , pathology , psychology , medicine , neuroscience , disease , dementia , frontotemporal dementia
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The current study investigated differences in resting-state connectivity between AD patients with and without delusions.Methods:10 AD patients with delusions and 11 AD patients without delusions underwent fMRI scanning in a 3 Tesla scanner. The resting-state functional connectivity was assessed by parcellating the brain using a data-drivenmethod based on kmeans clustering, and measuring functional connectivity for frontal clusters, associated with cognitive control. The presence of delusions was evaluated using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire completed by an informant. Results:There were no significant differences in age, education, or global cognition as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) between delusional and nondelusional groups. None of the delusional patients were on antipsychoticmedication. A single cluster of interest was analyzed, consisting of the superior medial frontal gyrus and the anterior cingulate. A twosample t-test found significantly increased connectivity (p<0.05, cluster size thresholded) between these regions of interest and the superior frontal gyrus in delusional compared to non-delusional patients. Conclusions:Our results suggest that aberrant resting-state connectivity between frontal regions may be related to the pathophysiology of delusions in Alzheimer’s disease. It is possible that altered frontal connectivity may be the brain trying to integrate disorganized neural processes, which can give rise to delusions[1]. The findings resemble resting-state abnormalities observed in patients with schizophrenia with delusions, with reports showing increased connectivity between the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC) and medial frontal gyrus [2, 3].