F. Zerrin Yetkin MD, PRESENTER: Nothing to Disclose

Abstract: HTML Purpose: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and a preclinical phase of AD exists and lasts for years. Delineation of AD associated modulations in the entire brain potentially offers the detection of preclinical phase of AD. Working memory is one of the cognitive domains impaired in early phases of AD. The aim of this study was to examine regional brain activation in patients with early AD performing a working memory task. Methods and Materials: Eight elderly controls and nine patients diagnosed with probable AD based on conventional NINCDS-ADRDA criteria were recruited through Alzheimer's Disease Center. All subjects underwent fMRI on a 1.5T scanner and performed a visual working memory task. Regions of brain activation during task performance were identified in each subject. The amount of activation and the level of task performance were compared between the groups using analysis of variance. Results: All subjects successfully performed the task. The level of task performance of AD group was not significantly different than control group. In both groups, majority of subjects showed activation of hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, frontal, anterior and posterior cingulate, parietal cortex, temporal lobe, visual cortex, and cerebellum. Activation of basal ganglia was observed in the majority of AD patients (7 of 9) and few controls (3 of 8). The number of activated voxels in basal ganglia ranged from 4 to 40 in AD group and 2 to 5 in the control group. As a group, AD patients had greater basal ganglia activation than the controls (p<0.05). In AD patients, activation in right hippocampus, left middle frontal gyrus, bilateral fusiform gyri, and bilateral basal ganglia was significantly greater than that of controls (p<0.05). Conclusion: FMRI of working memory documented that AD patients who had similar level of task performance to controls, showed significantly increased activation in hippocampus, basal ganglia, middle frontal gyrus, and fusiform gyrus than controls. Increased activation in AD may indicate cognitive reserve necessary for successful performance similar to that of controls. With the potential to detect changes in brain activation, the role of FMRI in identifying neuroimaging markers of AD merits further investigation.       Questions about this event email: zerrin.yetkin@UTSouthwestern.edu

Yetkin MD, F, Neuroanatomic Correlates of Cognitive Reserve in Early Alzheimer's Disease: An FMRI Study.  Radiological Society of North America 2003 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 30 - December 5, 2003 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2003/3107660.html