Patterns of MRI atrophy in tau positive and ubiquitin positive frontotemporal lobar degeneration

• Published in: Journal of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry neurosurgery and psychiatry, 2007-12, Vol.78 (12), p.1375-1378
• Main Authors: Kim, E J, Rabinovici, G D, Seeley, W W, Halabi, C, Shu, H, Weiner, M W, DeArmond, S J, Trojanowski, J Q, Gorno-Tempini, M L, Miller, B L, Rosen, H J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Atrophy - pathology; Autopsy; Biological and medical sciences; Caudate Nucleus - anatomy & histology; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Dementia; Dementia - complications; Dementia - diagnosis; Dementia - etiology; Dementia - metabolism; Dementia - pathology; Disease; Error correction & detection; Female; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Nervous system; Neurology; Neuropsychological Tests; Pathogenesis; Pathology; Putamen - anatomy & histology; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Severity of Illness Index; Short Report; tau Proteins - metabolism; Ubiquitin - metabolism
• ISSN: 0022-3050; 1468-330X
• DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.2006.114231

We applied optimised voxel based morphometry (VBM) to brain MRIs from autopsy proven cases of tau positive frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-T, n = 6), ubiquitin and TDP-43 positive/tau negative FTLD (FTLD-U, n = 8) and cognitively normal controls (n = 61). The analysis revealed that FTLD-T and FTLD-U both show atrophy in the frontal cortex and striatum, but striatal atrophy is more severe in FTLD-T. Manual region of interest tracing of caudate and putamen volumes confirmed the VBM findings. These anatomical differences may help distinguish between FTLD spectrum pathological subtypes in vivo.