Neuroimaging Research Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
Neurobiol Aging. 2013 Oct;34(10):2331-40. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.03.026. Epub 2013 Apr 24.
White matter (WM) microstructural damage and its relationship with cortical abnormalities were explored in early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) compared with late-onset AD (LOAD) patients. Structural and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance images were obtained from 22 EOAD patients, 35 LOAD patients, and 40 healthy controls. Patterns of WM microstructural damage and cortical atrophy, as well as their relationships, were assessed using tract-based spatial statistics, tractography and voxel-based morphometry. Compared with LOAD, EOAD patients had a more severe and distributed pattern of WM microstructural damage, in particular in the posterior fibers of cingulum and corpus callosum. In both groups with Alzheimer's disease, but especially in LOAD patients, correlations between cingulum and corpus callosum fractional anisotropy and parietal, temporal, and frontal cortical volumes were found. In conclusion, WM microstructural damage is more severe in EOAD compared with LOAD patients. Such damage follows different patterns of topographical distribution in the 2 patient groups.
探讨了早发性阿尔茨海默病（EOAD）与晚发性 AD（LOAD）患者之间的白质（WM）微观结构损伤及其与皮质异常的关系。从 22 例 EOAD 患者、35 例 LOAD 患者和 40 例健康对照者中获得结构和弥散张量磁共振图像。使用基于束流的空间统计学、束流追踪和体素形态计量学评估 WM 微观结构损伤和皮质萎缩的模式及其关系。与 LOAD 相比，EOAD 患者的 WM 微观结构损伤更严重且分布更广泛，特别是在扣带和胼胝体的后纤维中。在两组 AD 患者中，但特别是在 LOAD 患者中，发现扣带和胼胝体各向异性分数与顶叶、颞叶和额叶皮质体积之间存在相关性。总之，与 LOAD 患者相比，EOAD 患者的 WM 微观结构损伤更严重。这种损伤在两组患者中表现出不同的拓扑分布模式。
