Junghun Cho¹, Gloria C Chiang¹, Jonathan Dyke¹, Hang Zhang², Qihao Zhang², Michael Tokov³, Thanh D Nguyen¹, Pascal Spincemaille¹, Ilhami Kovanlikaya¹, Michael Amoashiy⁴, Mony de Leon¹, and Yi Wang^1,2
1Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States, ²Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States, ³College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Glen Head, NY, United States, ⁴Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States

Cerebral metabolic dysfunction is known to underlie cognitive impairment. This study using a novel challenge-free MRI-based oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) mapping method, namely “QQ”, demonstrated that lower OEF in white matter and hippocampus was associated with greater white matter hyperintensities in cognitively impaired, but not cognitively intact, elderly, whereas older age was association with decreased OEF in cortical gray matter in the cognitively intact. This study suggests that QQ-based OEF mapping may be a useful tool readily and widely available for investigating metabolic dysfunction underlying dementia.

Maurizio Bergamino¹, Sana Aslam², Holly A Shill ², and Ashley M Stokes^1
1Neuroimaging Division, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, United States, ²Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, United States

The objective of this study was to assess white matter integrity in both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and early Parkinson’s disease (PD) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics and connectivity analysis. Single-shell DTI data were obtained from open-source databases for AD and PD.

Christopher S Parker¹, Hui Zhang¹, and Neil P Oxtoby^1
1Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, UCL, London, United Kingdom

White matter (WM) microstructure abnormalities have been observed in prodromal and manifest Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the precise nature and sequence of WM neurodegeneration across the disease course is unclear. Here, we leverage state-of-the-art disease progression modelling to sequence WM microstructure abnormalities in AD, as quantified by diffusion MRI in the ADNI study. We observe WM abnormalities among the earliest AD structural abnormalities and characterise the precise sequence of WM neurodegeneration. This fine-grained approach may be used to identify subjects at early disease stages for participation in therapeutic clinical trials. 

 

Valeria Elisa Contarino¹, Silvia Siggillino¹, Andrea Arighi¹, Elisa Scola¹, Giorgio Giulio Fumagalli¹, Giorgio Conte^1,2, Emanuela Rotondo¹, Daniela Galimberti¹, Anna Margherita Pietroboni¹, Tiziana Carandini¹, Alexander Leemans³, Anna Maria Bianchi⁴, and Fabio Maria Triulzi^1,2
1Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Milano, Milano, Italy, ²Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy, ³Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, ⁴Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies showed superficial white matter (SWM) alterations in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The study aims to investigate the relationship between DTI in the SWM and CSF biomarkers in neurodegenerative dementia (ND). 93 ND patients were retrospectively recruited and images were processed for automatic segmentation of lobar white matter and Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Spearman’s correlation tests were performed between lobar DTI measures in the SWM, CSF biomarkers and clinical data. DTI measures in the SWM strongly correlated with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and amyloid-β42 suggesting SWM DTI as a candidate in-vivo non-invasive clinical and preclinical biomarker.

Maurizio Bergamino¹, Lori Steffes², Anna Burke³, Leslie C Baxter⁴, Richard J Caselli⁴, Marwan N Sabbagh⁵, and Ashley M Stokes^1
1Neuroimaging Division, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, United States, ²1Neuroimaging Division, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, United States, ³Division of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, United States, ⁴Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, AZ, United States, ⁵Alzheimer's and Memory Disorders Division, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, United States

The objective of this pilot study was to assess the complementary brain microstructural and perfusion changes using the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and the intravoxel incoherent motion-diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) parameters in a group of cognitively impaired people over a period of 12 months. Additionally, voxel-based correlations between cognitive assessment scores and DWI imaging parameters were evaluated.

Ronald J Beyers¹ and Thomas Denney^1
1MRI Research Center, Auburn University, Auburn University, AL, United States

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other cognitive debilitating disease drive the need to improve neuro 7T MRI methods.  We developed a multi-frequency magnetization transfer (MFMT) method for contrast improvement in 7T 3D MRI of the human hippocampus. MFMT applied to healthy volunteers demonstrated a 2.05 (p < 0.003) factor improvement in hippocampal contrast.

Oluwatobi Folorunsho Adeyemi^1,2, Olivier Mougin¹, Penny Gowland¹, Richard Bowtell¹, and Akram Hosseini^3
1University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom, ²University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria, ³Nottingham University Hospital, Nottingham, United Kingdom

This study provides an assessment of the level of reproducibility of measurements of the magnetic susceptibility of the hippocampal sub-fields that can achieved at 7T in a group of healthy volunteers using high-resolution QSM in conjunction with ASHS segmentation. The 2 to 4 ppb range of the values of the average standard deviation of repeated measurements characterises the minimum level of susceptibility change that could be reliably assessed in longitudinal studies, such as those evaluating changes in the iron content of the hippocampal sub-fields in Alzheimer’s disease.

Julia Huck^1,2, Nathan Spreng^3,4,5, Brittany Intzandt^1,2,6,7, PREVENT-AD Research Group⁸, Sylvia Villeneuve^5,9, Mallar Chakravarty⁹, Pierre-Louis Bazin^10,11,12, and Claudine Gauthier^1,2,7
1Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ²PERFORM Centre, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ³Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁴Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁵McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁶Centre de Recherche de l’Institut Universitaire de Geriatrie de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁷Centre de Recherche de l’Institut de Cardiologie de Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁸StoP-AD Centre, Douglas Mental Health Institute Research Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁹Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, ¹⁰Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, ¹¹Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brian Sciences, Leipzig, Germany, ¹²Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brian Sciences, Leipzig, Germany

Previous studies have shown an increase in oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we investigate if vein diameters and susceptibility values measured with quantitative susceptibility maps (QSM), can be used as a biomarker in individuals with the APOE ε4 allele, which confers an increased risk of developing AD for detecting early changes in venous and metabolic properties.

Giovanni Sighinolfi¹, Micaela Mitolo^2,3, Fabrizio Pizzagalli⁴, Raffaele Lodi^1,2, Michelangelo Stanzani-Maserati⁵, Daniel Remondini⁶, Sabina Capellari^1,5, Rocco Liguori^1,5, Caterina Tonon^1,2, and Claudia Testa^2,6
1Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, ²Functional and Molecular Neuroimaging Unit, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy, ³Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, ⁴Department of Neurosciences "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Torino, Torino, Italy, ⁵UOC Clinica Neurologica, IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy, ⁶Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

We investigated the capabilities of brain sulcal morphometry and cortical thickness (CT) to predict the conversion from MCI stage to AD and explored the correlation with neuropsychological performance. Sulcal surface, mean depth, length and width were analysed. The width showed the best capability to discriminate between HC, MCI and AD (also in comparison to CT), and was able to distinguish at baseline converter MCI from non-converter MCI.  Moreover, the width of specific frontal sulci correlated with memory and language performance. 

Sulcal morphometry emerged as a useful tool, capable of providing potential biomarkers for MCI conversion.