Neuropsychiatric correlates of white matter hyperintensities in Alzheimer's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of brain atrophy and white matter hyperintensities (WMH).


METHODS
Thirty-seven patients with probable AD received the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE), and an MRI scan as part of their initial evaluation at the Outpatient Memory Diagnostic Clinic at McLean Hospital. MRI-based volumetric measurements of whole brain atrophy, hippocampal volumes, and WMH were obtained. Analysis of covariance models, using age as a covariate and the presence of specific BPSD as independent variables, were used to test for differences in whole brain volumes, hippocampal volumes and WMH volumes.


RESULTS
Increased WMH were associated with symptoms of anxiety, aberrant motor behavior, and night time disturbance, while symptoms of disinhibition were linked to lower WMH volume. No associations were found for whole brain or hippocampal volumes and BPSD.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that white matter changes are associated with the presence of BPSD in AD.
Berlow
Yosef A
YA
Geriatric Psychiatry Research Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
Wells
William M
WM
Ellison
James M
JM
Sung
Young Hoon
YH
Renshaw
Perry F
PF
Harper
David G
DG
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies