title: Subcortical volume changes in dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease. A comparison with healthy aging.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Differentiating Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), two of the commonest forms of dementia in older age, remains a diagnostic challenge. To assist with better understanding of the differences between the conditions during life, we assessed limbic and subcortical brain volumes in AD, DLB, and healthy older individuals using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with the hypothesis that when compared with controls, subcortical volumes would be reduced to a greater extent in DLB than in AD.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred participants (35 healthy controls, 32 AD, and 33 DLB) underwent 3 Tesla T1 weighted MR scanning. Volumes were automatically segmented for each participant using FreeSurfer, then expressed as a percentage of their total intracranial volumes. Group effects were assessed using multivariate analysis of covariance, controlling for age and gender.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant group effects were apparent among subcortical brain volumes (F 28,162 = 4.8, p < 0.001; Wilk's Λ = 0.30, partial η 2 = 0.45), while univariate tests showed differences in all volumetric measures (p AD, p < 0.008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For similar levels of dementia severity, DLB appears to have greater involvement of subcortical brain atrophy than AD. Further investigation of the subcortical brain structures in DLB is warranted to fully understand their neurobiological role in this disease.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience,Campus for Ageing and Vitality,Newcastle University,Newcastle upon Tyne,UK.
authors.forename: Rosie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience,Campus for Ageing and Vitality,Newcastle University,Newcastle upon Tyne,UK.
authors.forename: Sean J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Colloby
authors.affiliation: Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre and Institute of Cellular Medicine,Newcastle University,Newcastle upon Tyne,UK.
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Blamire
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience,Campus for Ageing and Vitality,Newcastle University,Newcastle upon Tyne,UK.
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D001284:Atrophy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059906:Neuroimaging
keywords: FreeSurfer; MRI; neuroimaging; subcortical; volumetry