Analysis of brain and cerebrospinal fluid volumes with MR imaging: impact on PET data correction for atrophy. Part II. Aging and Alzheimer dementia.
A new, computerized segmentation technique, in which magnetic resonance (MR) imaging produces accurate volumetric measurements of brain and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) without the limitations of computed tomography, was used in a retrospective analysis of digitized T2-weighted MR images of 16 healthy elderly control subjects and 16 patients with Alzheimer dementia. Ventricular and extraventricular CSF was quantified, and the effects of aging were studied; in both groups, the atrophy measurement was used to correct metabolic values obtained with positron emission tomography. Patients with Alzheimer dementia had higher total CSF; extraventricular, total ventricular, and third ventricular CSF volumes (49%, 37%, 99%, and 74%, respectively); and 7% lower brain volumes than the control group. The patients also showed a more marked decline in brain volumes and a greater increase in CSF volumes with advancing age than the control group. They had a 25.0% increase in corrected whole-brain metabolic rates; the control group had only a 15.8% increase. The use of this technique may provide a basis for further studies of aging and dementia, including regional volume analysis.
Tanna
N K
NK
Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-4283.
Kohn
M I
MI
Horwich
D N
DN
Jolles
P R
PR
Zimmerman
R A
RA
Alves
W M
WM
Alavi
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed