HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Posterior cerebral atrophy in the absence of medial temporal lobe atrophy in pathologically-confirmed Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract
Medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) is a recognized marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD), however, it can be prominent in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). There is an increasing awareness that posterior atrophy (PA) is important in AD and may aid the differentiation of AD from FTLD. Visual rating scales are a convenient way of assessing atrophy in a clinical setting. In this study, 2 visual rating scales measuring MTA and PA were used to compare atrophy patterns in 62 pathologically-confirmed AD and 40 FTLD patients. Anatomical correspondence of MTA and PA was assessed using manually-delineated regions of the hippocampus and posterior cingulate gyrus, respectively. Both MTA and PA scales showed good inter- and intrarater reliabilities (kappa > 0.8). MTA scores showed a good correspondence with manual hippocampal volumes. Thirty percent of the AD patients showed PA in the absence of MTA. Adding the PA to the MTA scale improved discrimination of AD from FTLD, and early-onset AD from normal aging. These results underline the importance of considering PA in AD diagnosis, particularly in younger patients where medial temporal atrophy may be less conspicuous.
AuthorsManja Lehmann, Esther L G E Koedam, Josephine Barnes, Jonathan W Bartlett, Natalie S Ryan, Yolande A L Pijnenburg, Frederik Barkhof, Mike P Wattjes, Philip Scheltens, Nick C Fox
JournalNeurobiology of aging (Neurobiol Aging) Vol. 33 Issue 3 Pg. 627.e1-627.e12 (Mar 2012) ISSN: 1558-1497 [Electronic] United States
PMID21596458 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
CopyrightCopyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Topics
  • Aged
  • Alzheimer Disease (diagnosis, pathology, physiopathology)
  • Atrophy
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (diagnosis, pathology, physiopathology)
  • Gyrus Cinguli (pathology, physiopathology)
  • Hippocampus (pathology, physiopathology)
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (methods)
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Organ Size (physiology)
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Temporal Lobe (pathology)

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: