title: Amyloid-β associated cortical thinning in clinically normal elderly.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Both amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition and brain atrophy are associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the disease process likely begins many years before symptoms appear. We sought to determine whether clinically normal (CN) older individuals with Aβ deposition revealed by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) also have evidence of both cortical thickness and hippocampal volume reductions in a pattern similar to that seen in AD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 119 older individuals (87 CN subjects and 32 patients with mild AD) underwent PiB PET and high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Regression models were used to relate PiB retention to cortical thickness and hippocampal volume.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that PiB retention in CN subjects was (1) age-related and (2) associated with cortical thickness reductions, particularly in parietal and posterior cingulate regions extending into the precuneus, in a pattern similar to that observed in mild AD. Hippocampal volume reduction was variably related to Aβ deposition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that Aβ deposition is associated with a pattern of cortical thickness reduction consistent with AD prior to the development of cognitive impairment.
authors: Department of Radiology, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors: J Alex
authors: JA
authors: Becker
authors: Trey
authors: T
authors: Hedden
authors: Jeremy
authors: J
authors: Carmasin
authors: Jacqueline
authors: J
authors: Maye
authors: Dorene M
authors: DM
authors: Rentz
authors: Deepti
authors: D
authors: Putcha
authors: Bruce
authors: B
authors: Fischl
authors: Douglas N
authors: DN
authors: Greve
authors: Gad A
authors: GA
authors: Marshall
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Salloway
authors: Donald
authors: D
authors: Marks
authors: Randy L
authors: RL
authors: Buckner
authors: Reisa A
authors: RA
authors: Sperling
authors: Keith A
authors: KA
authors: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013844:Thiazoles
chemical_list: C475519:2-(4'-(methylamino)phenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D013844:Thiazoles