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Brain Advance Access originally published online on November 20, 2008
Brain 2008 131(12):3277-3285; doi:10.1093/brain/awn278
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© 2008 The Author(s)
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Strongly reduced volumes of putamen and thalamus in Alzheimer's disease: an MRI study

L. W. de Jong1, K. van der Hiele2, I. M. Veer1, J. J. Houwing3, R. G. J. Westendorp4, E. L. E. M. Bollen5, P. W. de Bruin1, H. A. M. Middelkoop2, M. A. van Buchem1 and J. van der Grond1

1Department of Radiology, 2Section Neuropsychology of the Department of Neurology, 3Department of Medical Statistics, 4Department of Geriatrics and 5Department of Neurology of the Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

Correspondence to: L.W. de Jong, MD, Department of Radiology, C3-Q, Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands E-mail: L.W.de_Jong{at}lumc.nl

Atrophy is regarded a sensitive marker of neurodegenerative pathology. In addition to confirming the well-known presence of decreased global grey matter and hippocampal volumes in Alzheimer's disease, this study investigated whether deep grey matter structure also suffer degeneration in Alzheimer's disease, and whether such degeneration is associated with cognitive deterioration. In this cross-sectional correlation study, two groups were compared on volumes of seven subcortical regions: 70 memory complainers (MCs) and 69 subjects diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease. Using 3T 3D T1 MR images, volumes of nucleus accumbens, amygdala, caudate nucleus, hippocampus, pallidum, putamen and thalamus were automatically calculated by the FMRIB's Integrated Registration and Segmentation Tool (FIRST)—algorithm FMRIB's Software Library (FSL). Subsequently, the volumes of the different regions were correlated with cognitive test results. In addition to finding the expected association between hippocampal atrophy and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, volumes of putamen and thalamus were significantly reduced in patients diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease. We also found that the decrease in volume correlated linearly with impaired global cognitive performance. These findings strongly suggest that, beside neo-cortical atrophy, deep grey matter structures in Alzheimer's disease suffer atrophy as well and that degenerative processes in the putamen and thalamus, like the hippocampus, may contribute to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.

Key Words: Alzheimer's disease; subcortical atrophy; thalamus; putamen; FIRST

Abbreviations: CAMCOG-R, Cambridge Cognitive Examination-Revised; FSL, FMRIB's Software Library; FIRST, FMRIB's Integrated Registration and Segmentation Tool; ICV, intra cranial volume; MC, memory complainer; MMSE, Mini Mental State Examination

Received May 21, 2008. Revised September 1, 2008. Accepted October 1, 2008.


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