title: Decreased white matter integrity before the onset of delusions in patients with Alzheimer's disease: diffusion tensor imaging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The pathology of delusions in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) associated with white matter (WM) abnormalities is poorly understood. In addition, whether the abnormalities in WM integrity that underlie the delusions develop before the onset of the delusions remains unclear. In this study, we used a diffusion tensor imaging approach to examine the existence of baseline abnormalities in WM integrity in AD patients who developed delusions and AD patients who did not develop delusions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, we identified patients with AD who exhibit delusions during a 1-year period. All the patients underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination at baseline. We conducted fractional anisotropy using tract-based spatial statistics software and compared the results of AD patients who developed delusions with those who did not develop delusions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the AD patients who did not develop delusions (n = 15), the AD patients who developed delusions (n = 10) exhibited two relatively large clusters and one minimal cluster of significantly lower fractional anisotropy results. The first cluster was located in the left parieto-occipital region and included several fibers: the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, the posterior corona radiate, and the forceps major of the corpus callosum. The second cluster was located on the body of the corpus callosum. A third minimal cluster was located on the superior temporal gyrus white matter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abnormalities in WM integrity involving several fibers may be crucial to the development of delusions in AD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shutaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakaaki
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Katsuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Torii
authors.forename: Mizuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Negi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamae
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Narumoto
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miyata
authors.forename: Toshi A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mimura
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; DTI; delusions; tract-based spatial statistics; white matter