Neuroimaging correlates of apathy and depression in Alzheimer's disease.
A consecutive series of 79 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease were assessed with a structured psychiatric evaluation, and diagnoses of apathy and depression were made using standardized criteria. Three-dimensional MRI scans were obtained from all patients, and images were segmented into gray matter, white matter, and CSF. White matter hyperintensities were edited on segmented images, and lobar assignments (frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital) were made based on Talairach coordinates. Patients with apathy showed a significantly larger volume of frontal white matter hyperintensities than patients without apathy. Patients with depression had a significantly larger volume of right parietal white matter hyperintensities than patients without depression. However, neither apathy nor depression was significantly associated with lobar gray or white matter atrophy. Frontal and right parietal white matter hyperintensities are the strongest brain structural correlates of apathy and depression in Alzheimer's disease.
School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia Fremantle Hospital, Western Australia, Australia. ses@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Sergio E
SE
Starkstein
Romina
R
Mizrahi
Aristides A
AA
Capizzano
Laura
L
Acion
Simone
S
Brockman
Brian D
BD
Power
D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003863:Depression / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology; D036421:Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated / Q000473:pathology; D009929:Organ Size; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales