Change in rates of cerebral atrophy over time in early-onset Alzheimer's disease: longitudinal MRI study.
The extent to which cerebral atrophy in Alzheimer's disease changes with time is unknown. We used multiple MRI scans to measure progression of cerebral atrophy in 12 patients with Alzheimer's disease who were followed up from a presymptomatic stage through to moderately severe dementia. Analysis with hierarchical regression models with quadratic terms in time provided evidence of increasing yearly percentage losses in brain volume. At the time when patients were judged to have mild dementia (mini-mental state examination score MMSE=23), mean yearly loss of brain volume was 2.8% (95% CI 2.3-3.3), which rose by 0.32% per year (0.15-0.50). Our findings reinforce the need for early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention in Alzheimer's disease.
Chan
Dennis
D
Dementia Research Group, Department of Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
Janssen
John C
JC
Whitwell
Jennifer L
JL
Watt
Hilary C
HC
Jenkins
Rhian
R
Frost
Chris
C
Rossor
Martin N
MN
Fox
Nick C
NC
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D001284:Atrophy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology