title: White matter microstructural damage in Alzheimer's disease at different ages of onset.
abstract: White matter (WM) microstructural damage and its relationship with cortical abnormalities were explored in early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) compared with late-onset AD (LOAD) patients. Structural and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance images were obtained from 22 EOAD patients, 35 LOAD patients, and 40 healthy controls. Patterns of WM microstructural damage and cortical atrophy, as well as their relationships, were assessed using tract-based spatial statistics, tractography and voxel-based morphometry. Compared with LOAD, EOAD patients had a more severe and distributed pattern of WM microstructural damage, in particular in the posterior fibers of cingulum and corpus callosum. In both groups with Alzheimer's disease, but especially in LOAD patients, correlations between cingulum and corpus callosum fractional anisotropy and parietal, temporal, and frontal cortical volumes were found. In conclusion, WM microstructural damage is more severe in EOAD compared with LOAD patients. Such damage follows different patterns of topographical distribution in the 2 patient groups.
authors.affiliation: Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Canu
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Agosta
authors.forename: Edoardo G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Spinelli
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcone
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scola
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falautano
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Comi
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Falini
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Filippi
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000473:pathology; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Diffusion tensor MRI; Early-onset Alzheimer's disease; Late-onset Alzheimer's disease; MRI; White matter damage