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PMID: 21832223 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Distinct profiles of brain and cognitive changes in the very old with Alzheimer disease.

Neurology ·Vol. 77 ·No. 8 ·2011-08-23 ·Pages 713-21

Stricker NH, Chang YL, Fennema-Notestine C, Delano-Wood L, Salmon DP, Bondi MW, Dale AM, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Abstract

To determine whether age-standardized brain morphometric and cognitive profiles differ in young-old (aged 60-75 years) and very-old (aged 80-91 years) patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Using a case-control retrospective design, we compared hippocampal volume and cortical gray matter thickness in areas known to be affected by AD in 105 patients with AD and 125 healthy control (HC) participants divided into young-old and very-old subgroups. Brain morphometric and cognitive scores of the AD groups were standardized to their respective age-appropriate HC subgroup and then compared. Several cognitive domains (executive function, immediate memory, and attention/processing speed) were less abnormal in the very old with AD than in the young old with AD. Similarly, the very old with AD showed less severe cortical thinning than the young old with AD in the left posterior cingulate cortex, right lateral temporal cortex, and bilateral parietal cortex and in overall cortical thickness. This effect is partially explained by an age-related decrease in cortical thickness in these brain regions in the HC participants. The typical pattern of AD-related cognitive and morphometric changes seen in the young old appear to be less salient in the very old. Thus, mild cases of AD in the very old may go undetected if one expects to see the prototypical pattern and severity of cognitive or brain changes that occur in the young old with AD. These results underscore the importance of interpreting neuropsychological test performance and morphometric brain measures in reference to the individual's age.

MeSH Terms
Age Factors Aged Aged, 80 and over Alzheimer Disease/complications,pathology Brain/pathology Case-Control Studies Cognition Disorders/etiology,pathology Female Humans Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods Male Middle Aged Multivariate Analysis Neuropsychological Tests Retrospective Studies
Authors & Affiliations
8 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Stricker N H
Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.
Chang Y-L
Fennema-Notestine C
Delano-Wood L
Salmon D P
Bondi M W
Dale A M
Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
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Article Info
Journal
Neurology
Abbr.
Neurology
ISSN
1526-632X
DOI
10.1212/WNL.0b013e31822b0004
Published
2011-08-23
Epub
2011-00-10
Pages
713-21
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0401060
PMCID
PMC3164395
Subset
IM
Grants
NIA NIH HHS · R01 AG031224 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · P30-AG010129 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · U19 AG010483 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · K01-AG030514 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · R01-AG031224 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · U01-AG024904 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · K24 AG026431 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · R01 AG012674 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · R01-AG012674 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · P50-AG05131 · United States
NIA NIH HHS · K24-AG026431 · United States
Corrections
CommentIn
PMID: 21832231
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31822b0004 PMC Full Text View journal details
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