title: Cortical thickness analysis to detect progressive mild cognitive impairment: a reference to Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It would be advantageous to be able to distinguish the characteristics of those MCI patients with a high probability to progress to AD if one wishes to monitor the disease development and treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed the baseline MRI and maximum of 7 years clinical follow-up data of 60 MCI subjects in order to examine differences in cortical thickness (CTH) between the progressive MCI (P-MCI) and stable MCI (S-MCI) subjects. CTH was measured using an automatic computational surface-based method. During the follow-up, 15 MCI subjects converted to AD on average 1.9 +/- 1.3 years after the baseline examination, while 45 MCI subjects remained stable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The P-MCI group displayed significantly reduced CTH bilaterally in the superior and middle frontal, superior, middle and inferior temporal, fusiform and parahippocampal regions as well as the cingulate and retrosplenial cortices and also in the right precuneal and paracentral regions compared to S-MCI subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Analysis of CTH could be used in conjunction with neuropsychological testing to identify those subjects with imminent conversion from MCI to AD several years before dementia diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Valtteri
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Julkunen
authors.forename: Eini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Niskanen
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muehlboeck
authors.forename: Maija
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pihlajamäki
authors.forename: Mervi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Könönen
authors.forename: Merja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hallikainen
authors.forename: Miia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kivipelto
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tervo
authors.forename: Ritva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vanninen
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Hilkka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soininen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index