Functional MR imaging using a visually guided saccade paradigm for comparing activation patterns in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease and incognitively able elderly volunteers
Kr. Thulborn et al., Functional MR imaging using a visually guided saccade paradigm for comparing activation patterns in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease and incognitively able elderly volunteers, AM J NEUROR, 21(3), 2000, pp. 524-531
Citations number
34
Categorie Soggetti
Radiology ,Nuclear Medicine & Imaging","Neurosciences & Behavoir
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Alzheimer's disease is associated with progressive
visuospatial dysfunction, This study used functional MR (fMR) imaging with
an eye movement paradigm to investigate differences in visuospatial cogniti
on between patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (pAD) and cognitively
able elderly volunteers.
METHODS: Using established, although imperfect, clinical criteria, patients
with pAD (n = 18) and cognitively able elderly volunteers (n = 10) were se
lected for study. All patients underwent echo-planar fMR imaging at 1.5 T,
The visually guided saccade paradigm consisted of alternating periods (30 s
) of central fixation and visually guided saccades to a target appearing ra
ndomly along the horizontal meridian, Activation maps were derived using a
voxel-wise t test, comparing the signal intensities between the two steady-
state conditions. The activation patterns were characterized by Talairach c
oordinates, activation volumes, and laterality ratios (LRs).
RESULTS: Statistically significant differences existed between the activati
on patterns of the patients with pAD and those of the volunteers. In contra
st to the control group, a left-dominant parietal activation pattern and en
hanced prefrontal cortical activation were observed in most patients with p
AD.
CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of the imperfect clinical standard of re
ference, the reduction in right parietal activation producing the left-domi
nant LR for the intraparietal sulcus may reflect the progressive dysfunctio
n in spatial attention associated with Alzheimer's disease, considering the
known parietal lobe involvement in this function and the disease. The high
specificity of a positive intraparietal sulcal LR measured by fMR imaging
may have a role in detecting and monitoring Alzheimer's disease.