Corpus callosum (CC) abnormalities may cause cognitive and neuropsychiatric complications due to reduced hemispheric integration. Over a one-year period, we investigated whether the CC structure of 20 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) was linked to the evolution of cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. We also investigated whether this anatomical-clinical relationship was localized topographically on the CC by combining voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging approaches. We assessed patients' global cognitive deterioration and neuropsychiatric symptoms with the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Increased global cognitive deterioration during the early course of AD was significantly related to reduced white matter density (p = 0.004) and fractional anisotropy (FA) (p = 0.012) and increased mean diffusivity (MD) (p = 0.017) at the level of the CC isthmus/splenium. Further, increased depression severity was significantly related to reduced FA (p = 0.008) and increased MD (p = 0.018) at the level of the CC rostrum. These results indicate that changes in early myelinated CC fibers, which subserve the lateral temporal and parietal cortices and are less vulnerable to damage, may be related to cognitive impairment. Furthermore, changes in late myelinated CC fibers, which connect the orbitofrontal cortices and are more vulnerable to damage, may be related to the earliest neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD, such as depression.

Di Paola, M., Phillips, O., Orfei, M., Piras, F., Cacciari, C., Caltagirone, C., et al. (2015). Corpus callosum structure is topographically correlated with the early course of cognition and depression in Alzheimer's disease. JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, 45(4), 1097-1108 [10.3233/JAD-142895].

Corpus callosum structure is topographically correlated with the early course of cognition and depression in Alzheimer's disease

CALTAGIRONE, CARLO;
2015-01-01

Abstract

Corpus callosum (CC) abnormalities may cause cognitive and neuropsychiatric complications due to reduced hemispheric integration. Over a one-year period, we investigated whether the CC structure of 20 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) was linked to the evolution of cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms. We also investigated whether this anatomical-clinical relationship was localized topographically on the CC by combining voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging approaches. We assessed patients' global cognitive deterioration and neuropsychiatric symptoms with the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Increased global cognitive deterioration during the early course of AD was significantly related to reduced white matter density (p = 0.004) and fractional anisotropy (FA) (p = 0.012) and increased mean diffusivity (MD) (p = 0.017) at the level of the CC isthmus/splenium. Further, increased depression severity was significantly related to reduced FA (p = 0.008) and increased MD (p = 0.018) at the level of the CC rostrum. These results indicate that changes in early myelinated CC fibers, which subserve the lateral temporal and parietal cortices and are less vulnerable to damage, may be related to cognitive impairment. Furthermore, changes in late myelinated CC fibers, which connect the orbitofrontal cortices and are more vulnerable to damage, may be related to the earliest neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD, such as depression.
2015
Pubblicato
Rilevanza internazionale
Articolo
Esperti anonimi
Settore MED/26 - NEUROLOGIA
English
Cognitive domain; Mini-Mental State Examination; corpus callosum; depression; diffusion tensor imaging; diffusivity; drug-free; first diagnosed AD; fractional anisotropy; mean diffusivity; mild Alzheimer's disease; neuropsychiatric symptoms; structural MRI; volume; voxel-based morphometry; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease; Corpus Callosum; Depression; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Disease Progression; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Multimodal Imaging; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Cognition
Di Paola, M., Phillips, O., Orfei, M., Piras, F., Cacciari, C., Caltagirone, C., et al. (2015). Corpus callosum structure is topographically correlated with the early course of cognition and depression in Alzheimer's disease. JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, 45(4), 1097-1108 [10.3233/JAD-142895].
Di Paola, M; Phillips, O; Orfei, M; Piras, F; Cacciari, C; Caltagirone, C; Spalletta, G
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2108/158019
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