cqvip:Objective: To establish the progression of brain atrophy rates in patients wit h a known date of onset of Alzheimer disease (AD).Methods: Each of 18 subjects h ad two high-resolution T1-weighted three-dimensional MRI examinations. The tw o MRIs were coregistered and the annual rate of brain tissue atrophy was derived both for the entire brain and regionally for the left and right medial temporal lobe (MTL). Time since onset (TSO) of AD, defined as the interval between the d ate of onset and the midpoint of MRI dates, ranged from -2.9 to 4.2 years. Resu lts:In patients with AD, TSO was a correlate of the atrophy rate for both the le ft MTL (R2 = 0.58, p = 0.001) and right MTL (R2 = 0.30, p = 0.03). When serial m easurements were applied to a control group of 21 cognitively normal elderly sub jects,MTL atrophy rate classified the group membership (AD vs normal cognition) with an accuracy of 92.3%. Conclusion:Increased annual atrophy rate in the medi al temporal lobe is a potential diagnostic marker of the progression of Alzheime r disease.
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