Baseline MRI results in patients with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD) is predictive of cognitive status two years later, according to a study published in the Journal of Neurology .

“Atrophy in the brain on MRI can help predict the cognitive status of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but whether this is also true for people with early onset disease (that is, those younger than 65) who have been diagnosed based on biomarkers has remained unclear,” wrote Yee.

“In EOAD, hemispheric CTh [cortical thickness] and ventricular volume at baseline were associated with global cognition, language and attentional/executive functioning 2 years later (p < 0.0028). Regional CTh was related to most cognitive outcomes (p < 0.0028), except verbal/visual memory subtests. Amygdalar volume was associated with letter fluency test (p < 0.0028). Hippocampal volume did not show significant associations,” wrote the team led by Dr. José Contador from the University of Barcelona, Spain.

“‘Our study provides data for future hypothesis testing, narrowing the field of brain MRI measurements that could predict the evolution … [of] early-onset Alzheimer’s disease,’ they concluded,” reported Yee.

Sources:

Contador, J., Pérez-Millan, A., Guillen, N. et al. Baseline MRI atrophy predicts 2-year cognitive outcomes in early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. J Neurol (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-021-10851-9 Published October 19, 2021, at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00415-021-10851-9. Accessed November 2, 2021.

Yee, Kate. MRI predicts 2-year cognitive status in early-onset Alzheimer’s. AuntMinnie.com October 25, 2021, at https://www.auntminnie.com/index.aspx?sec=sup&sub=mri&pag=dis&ItemID=133856. Accessed November 2, 2021.