MRI of hippocampus and entorhinal cortex in mild cognitive impairment: A follow-up study

• Published in: Neurobiology of aging 2008-01, Vol.29 (1), p.31-38
• Main Authors: Tapiola, Tero, Pennanen, Corina, Tapiola, Mia, Tervo, Susanna, Kivipelto, Miia, Hänninen, Tuomo, Pihlajamäki, Maija, Laakso, Mikko P, Hallikainen, Merja, Hämäläinen, Anne, Vanhanen, Matti, Helkala, Eeva-Liisa, Vanninen, Ritva, Nissinen, Aulikki, Rossi, Roberta, Frisoni, Giovanni B, Soininen, Hilkka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer's disease; Analysis of Variance; APOE; Apolipoproteins E - genetics; Cognition Disorders - genetics; Cognition Disorders - pathology; Entorhinal cortex; Entorhinal Cortex - pathology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Follow-up study; Hippocampus; Hippocampus - pathology; Humans; Internal Medicine; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Male; Memory; Middle Aged; Mild cognitive impairment; MRI; Neurology; Proportional Hazards Models; Volumetry; White matter lesions
• ISSN: 0197-4580; 1558-1497
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2006.09.007

Abstract The concept of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has been proposed to represent a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia. We studied the predictive value of the MRI-derived volumes of medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures, white matter lesions (WML), neuropsychological tests, and Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype on conversion of MCI to dementia and AD. The study included 60 subjects with MCI identified from population cohorts. During the mean follow-up period of 34 months, 13 patients had progressed to dementia (9 to Alzheimer's disease (AD)). In Cox regression analysis the baseline volumes of the right hippocampus, the right entorhinal cortex and CDR sum of boxes predicted the progression of MCI to dementia during the follow-up. In a bivariate analysis, only the baseline volumes of entorhinal cortex predicted conversion of MCI to AD. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score at baseline, WML load, or APOE genotype were not significant predictors of progression. The MTL volumetry helps in identifying among the MCI subjects a group, which is at high risk for developing AD.