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P4‐324: WHITE MATTER CHANGES IN SPECIFIC‐TRACTS IN THE PRECLINICAL AND PRODROMAL STAGES OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: CORRELATIONS WITH COGNITIVE DECLINE AND SELF‐PERCEIVED COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS
Author(s) -
Sanz David Lopez,
Verdejo Juan,
Cuesta Pablo,
Serrano Noelia,
Frutos Jaisalmer,
Lopez Garcia Maria Eugenia,
Higes Ramon Lopez,
Fuertes Miguel Yus,
Delgado Losada Maria Luisa,
Maestu Fernando
Publication year - 2019
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.2019.06.3994
Subject(s) - fractional anisotropy , cingulum (brain) , cognitive decline , white matter , psychology , cognition , dementia , diffusion mri , uncinate fasciculus , audiology , medicine , disease , oncology , neuroscience , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology
Background: White matter (WM) changes measured using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have been reported in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but heterogeneity of WM changes has not been fully investigated. Methods: 89 participants (64 cognitively normal [CN; 16% APOE-ε4+] and 25 MCI [44% ε4+]; 22M/67F; age: 64.267.8) underwent baseline brain MRI exams as part of several on-going studies within theWake Forest AD Research Center. We performed linear regression analysis of DTI with age and sex as covariates at three different scales: whole WM average, regions of interest (ROI) defined by the JHU WM Atlas, and voxelwise analysis using tractbases spatial statistics (TBSS) (Figure 1). Results: While an effect of cognitive status was not observed at the whole WM and voxel levels, select ROIs (Table 1) demonstrated lower FA, higher MD and higher RD in MCI compared to CN. Unexpectedly, from ROI level analysis, higher fractional anisotropy (FA) was observed in APOE ε4 carriers in the Body of Corpus Callosum and Left Cingulum bundle. Conclusions: Multi-scale analysis of DTI was able to investigate the spatial heterogeneity of WM degeneration across participants. This suggests that an analysis of secondary or peripheral WM fibers (using an ROI approach) may reveal tracts that are more vulnerable in the early stages of AD. However, apparently higher FA in APOE ε4-carriers should be further examined, by incorporating measures of WM atrophy and crossing fiber analysis to identify structural mechanisms of WM degeneration.