Cortical thickness analysis to detect progressive mild cognitive impairment: a reference to Alzheimer's disease.
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.
Julkunen
Valtteri
V
Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland.
Niskanen
Eini
E
Muehlboeck
Sebastian
S
Pihlajamäki
Maija
M
Könönen
Mervi
M
Hallikainen
Merja
M
Kivipelto
Miia
M
Tervo
Susanna
S
Vanninen
Ritva
R
Evans
Alan
A
Soininen
Hilkka
H
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