title: Analysis of brain and cerebrospinal fluid volumes with MR imaging: impact on PET data correction for atrophy. Part II. Aging and Alzheimer dementia.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-4283.
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Tanna
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Kohn
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Horwich
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Jolles
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alavi
mesh_terms: 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