COGNITIVE DEFICITS AND ATROPHY IN SPECIFIC CORTICAL REGIONS IN ALZHEIMER?S DISEASE: A 3D QUANTITATED MAGNETIC RESONANCE STUDY

L ACION; A CAPIZZANO; M FURMAN; T BEKINSCHTEIN; H GOMILA

Congreso; World Alzheimer's Congress; 2000

Objetive: To examine specific correlates between cognitive deficits and quantitativemeasurements of MRI lobar cortex volumes in AD. Methods: Eighteen patients withprobable AD were assessed with tests of memory (Buschke Selective RemindingTest) and language (Token test, Boston naming, verbal fluency). MRI scans werecarried out on a 1.5 T Signa system with 3D coronal Tl-weighted and dual echoacquisitions. Image processing was performed using BRAINS software (MH-CRC,University of Iowa). Images were automatically segmented into gray and whitematter, CSF and venous blood. Lobar volumes were derived from the Talairach atlasand normalized to intracranial volume. Results: Left and right temporal and leftfrontal cortical volumes significantly correlated with memory and language test?.scores (Table). No other significant correlations were found for the remaining lobes.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated significant correlations between deficits inverbal anterograde memory and reduced left temporal cortical volume, and betweendeficits in language functions and reduced left frontal and temporal cortical volumes.Thus, the specific and progressive cognitive deficits in AD can be related to atrophyin specific brain regions using 3D MRI and BRAINS software.