Progressive brain atrophy on serial MRI in dementia with Lewy bodies, AD, and vascular dementia

The authors determined rates of brain atrophy, as assessed by the boundary shift integral on serial MRI, in patients with dementia with Lewy Bodies (D LB, n = 10), AD (n = 9), vascular dementia (VaD, n = 9), and age-matched co ntrols (n = 20). Mean % +/- SD atrophy rates per year were as follows: DLB, 1.4 +/- 1.1; AD, 2.0 +/- 0.9; VaD, 1.9 +/- 1.1; and controls, 0.5 +/- 0.7. Dementia subjects had higher rates than controls (p < 0.001), but there we re no significant differences between the three dementia groups. The author s found accelerating atrophy with increasing severity of cognitive impairme nt, further emphasizing the need for early diagnosis and intervention in de mentia.