title: Voxel-based morphometry findings in Alzheimer's disease: neuropsychiatric symptoms and disability correlations - preliminary results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of structural brain changes and their correlations with neuropsychiatric symptoms and disability in Alzheimer's disease are still poorly understood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish whether structural changes in grey matter volume in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease are associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms and disability
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen Alzheimer's disease patients (9 females; total mean age =75.2 y old +4.7; total mean education level =8.5 y +4.9) underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination and voxel-based morphometry analysis. T1-weighted images were spatially normalized and segmented. Grey matter images were smoothed and analyzed using a multiple regression design. The results were corrected for multiple comparisons. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory was used to evaluate the neuropsychiatric symptoms, and the Functional Activities Questionnaire and Disability Assessment for Dementia were used for functional evaluation
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant negative correlation was found between the bilateral middle frontal gyri, left inferior temporal gyrus, right orbitofrontal gyrus, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory scores. A negative correlation was found between bilateral middle temporal gyri, left hippocampus, bilateral fusiform gyri, and the Functional Activities Questionnaire. There was a positive correlation between the right amygdala, bilateral fusiform gyri, right anterior insula, left inferior and middle temporal gyri, right superior temporal gyrus, and Disability Assessment for Dementia scores
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the neuropsychiatric symptoms observed in Alzheimer's disease patients could be mainly due to frontal structural abnormalities, whereas disability could be associated with reductions in temporal structures.
authors.affiliation: Psychobiology Department, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciano de Gois
authors.initials: Lde G
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
authors.forename: Andrea Parolin
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Jackowski
authors.forename: Maira Okada de
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Yoná Mayara Ribeiro
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Flor
authors.forename: Orlando Francisco Amodeo
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Bueno
authors.forename: Sonia Maria Dozzi
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brucki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires