Measurement of hippocampal subfields and age-related changes with high resolution MRI at 4T.
Histological studies suggest that hippocampal subfields are differently affected by aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aims of this study were: (1) To test if hippocampal subfields can be identified and marked using anatomical landmarks on high resolution MR images obtained on a 4T magnet. (2) To test if age-specific volume changes of subfields can be detected. Forty-two healthy controls (21-85 years) and three AD subjects (76-86 years) were studied with a high resolution T2 weighted fast spin echo sequence. The entorhinal cortex (ERC), subiculum, CA1, CA2 and CA3/4 and dentate were marked. A significant correlation between age and CA1 (r=-0.51, p=0.0002) which was most pronounced in the seventh decade of life was found in healthy controls. In AD subjects, CA1 and subiculum were smaller than in age-matched controls. These preliminary findings suggest that measurement of hippocampal subfields may be helpful to distinguish between normal aging and AD.
Mueller
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SG
Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Medical Center, Clement Street 4150, San Francisco, CA 94121, United States.
Stables
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L
Du
A T
AT
Schuff
N
N
Truran
D
D
Cashdollar
N
N
Weiner
M W
MW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests