title: Comparison between visual assessment of MTA and hippocampal volumes in an elderly, non-demented population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is important to have a replicable easy method for monitoring atrophy progression in Alzheimer's disease. Volumetric methods for calculating hippocampal volume are time-consuming and commonly used in research. Visual assessments of medial temporal lobe atrophy (vaMTA) is a rapid method for clinical use. This method has not been tested in a large non-demented population in comparison with volumetry measurements. Since hippocampal volume decreases with time even in normal aging there is also a need to study the normal age differences of medial temporal lobe atrophy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare visual assessment of medial temporal lobe atrophy (vaMTA) with hippocampal volume in a healthy, non-demented elderly population. To describe normal ageing using vaMTA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Non-demented individuals aged 60, 66, 72, 78, 81, 84, and ≥87 years old were recruited from the Swedish National study on Ageing and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), Sweden. Standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, vaMTA, and calculations of hippocampal volumes were performed in 544 subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant correlation (r(s) = -0.32, P < 0.001, sin; and r(s) = -0.26, P < 0.001, dx) was found between hippocampal volume measurements and vaMTA. In normal ageing, almost 95% of ≤66-year-olds had a medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) score ≤1, with possible scores ranging from 0 to 4. Subjects aged 72, 78, and 81 years scored ≤2, while the two oldest age groups had scores ≤3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a highly significant correlation between volumetric measurements of the hippocampus and MTA scoring. In normal ageing, there is increasing MTA score. For non-demented elderly individuals ≤70 years, an MTA score of 0-1 may be considered normal, compared with MTA ≤2 for 70-80-years and MTA 3 for >80-year-old individuals.
authors.affiliation: CLINTEC, Division of Medical Imaging and Technology, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden. lena.cavallin@karolinska.se
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cavallin
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bronge
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Anne-Rita
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Oksengård
authors.forename: Lars-Olof
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Wahlund
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fratiglioni
authors.forename: Rimma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Axelsson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001284:Atrophy / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013548:Sweden; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology*