Cognitively defined Alzheimer's dementia subgroups have distinct atrophy patterns
Paul K. Crane, Colin Groot, Rik Ossenkoppele, Shubhabrata Mukherjee, Seo‐Eun Choi, Michael Lee, Phoebe Scollard, Laura E. Gibbons, R. Elizabeth Sanders, Emily Trittschuh, Andrew J. Saykin, Jesse Mez, Connie Nakano, Christine Mac Donald, Harkirat Sohi, Shannon Risacher,- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Neurology (clinical)
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Health Policy
- Epidemiology
Abstract
INTRODUCTION
We sought to determine structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics across subgroups defined based on relative cognitive domain impairments using data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) and to compare cognitively defined to imaging‐defined subgroups.
METHODS
We used data from 584 people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (461 amyloid positive, 123 unknown amyloid status) and 118 amyloid‐negative controls. We used voxel‐based morphometry to compare gray matter volume (GMV) for each group compared to controls and to AD‐Memory.
RESULTS
There was pronounced bilateral lower medial temporal lobe atrophy with relative cortical sparing for AD‐Memory, lower left hemisphere GMV for AD‐Language, anterior lower GMV for AD‐Executive, and posterior lower GMV for AD‐Visuospatial. Formal asymmetry comparisons showed substantially more asymmetry in the AD‐Language group than any other group (p = 1.15 × 10−10). For overlap between imaging‐defined and cognitively defined subgroups, AD‐Memory matched up with an imaging‐defined limbic predominant group.
DISCUSSION
MRI findings differ across cognitively defined AD subgroups.