title: Retrosplenial cortex (BA 29) volumes in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a crucial transit region between the hippocampus and cingulate cortex and has been implicated in spatial navigation and memory. Importantly, RSC atrophy is a predilection site of Alzheimer's (AD) pathology, but there have been no studies assessing structural changes in the RSC in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A manual tracing method was used to calculate regional RSC volume in MRI scans from patients with bvFTD (n = 15) and AD (n = 15), as well as age- and sex-matched controls (n = 15).
  
  
  RESULTS
  RSC volumes were significantly reduced in the AD (p < 0.001), but not the bvFTD cohort (p > 0.1) compared to age-matched controls. RSC volumes discriminated bvFTD from AD in over 90% of the cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide further evidence that RSC atrophy is specific to AD, which might explain the commonly observed spatial disorientation in this patient group.
authors: Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia.
authors: Rachel H
authors: RH
authors: Tan
authors: Stephanie
authors: S
authors: Wong
authors: John R
authors: JR
authors: Hodges
authors: Glenda M
authors: GM
authors: Halliday
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Hornberger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001284:Atrophy / Q000209:etiology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size