title: β-Amyloid (1-42) Levels in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Cerebral Atrophy in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies consistently reported Alzheimer's disease (AD) and, to a lower extent, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to be accompanied by reduced cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of β-amyloid. However, how these changes are related to brain morphological alterations is so far only partly understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  CSF levels of β-amyloid (1-42) were examined with respect to cerebral atrophy in 23 subjects with MCI, 16 patients with mild-to-moderateAlzheimer's disease (AD) and 15 age-matched controls by using magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  When contrasted with the controls, β-amyloid (1-42) levels were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in patients with MCI and even more so in the AD patients. This effect was significantly associated with reduced gray matter densities in both the right and left hippocampal head based on the results of a VBM analysis across the entire sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our finding confirms the results of previous studies and suggests that both the decrease in β-amyloid (1-42) and the development of hippocampal atrophy coincide in the disease process.
authors.affiliation: Section of Geriatric Psychiatry, INF 280, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Philipp A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Thomann
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Essig
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schröder