Brain Atrophy and Clinical Characterization of Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Different Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarker Profiles According to the AT(N) Research Framework of Alzheimer's Disease.

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to evaluate, in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the brain atrophy that may distinguish between three AT(N) biomarker-based profiles, and to determine its clinical value.

METHODS

Structural MRI (sMRI) was employed to evaluate the volume and cortical thickness differences in MCI patients with different AT(N) profiles, namely, A-T-(N)-: ; A+T-(N)-: ; and A+T+(N)+: . Sensitivity and specificity of these changes were also estimated.

RESULTS

An initial atrophy in medial temporal lobe (MTL) areas was found in the A+T-(N)- and A+T+(N)+ groups, spreading toward the parietal and frontal regions in A+T+(N)+ patients. These structural changes allowed distinguishing AT(N) profiles within the AD continuum; however, the profiles and their pattern of neurodegeneration were unsuccessful to determine the current clinical status.

CONCLUSION

sMRI is useful in the determination of the specific brain structural changes of AT(N) profiles along the AD continuum, allowing differentiation between MCI adults with or without pathological AD biomarkers.