Milan Nemy, Czech Republic
Czech Technical University, Faculty of Electrical Engineering Department of CyberneticsPresenter of 2 Presentations
CHOLINERGIC WHITE MATTER PATHWAYS, CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE, AND COGNITION ALONG THE SPECTRUM OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Abstract
Aims
Widespread projections from the cholinergic basal forebrain to the cortex play an important role in memory and other cognitive processes that are impaired in Alzheimer’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and vascular dementia. We recently proposed an in vivo model of the human cholinergic system connectivity based on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and showed associations with cognition in a normal aging population. In the current study, we investigated this promising model in individuals along the AD spectrum.
Methods
N=405 participants (53 AD, 66 MCI, 174 SCD, 112 healthy controls) from the DELCODE study were included. We modeled several cholinergic tracts in each diagnostic group using an enhanced diffusion neuroimaging pipeline. A multivariate model was employed to show the role of these tracts in cognition. Additionally, the role of cerebrovascular disease was integrated with both global and regional information.
Results
We found specific loss in the white matter cholinergic projections with the progression of the disease. We were able to locate spatial patterns of substantial disruptions along these tracts between groups. The multivariate models showed different degree of contribution of the considered factors to cognition in each diagnostic group.
Conclusions
Here, we show the utility of an in vivo model of cholinergic pathways in (pre-)AD populations using DTI. Such a model may help to localize pathological changes and to evaluate the degree of macroscopical damage and, thus, contribute to unraveling pathological mechanisms involved in dementia.
LIVE DISCUSSION
