Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan
| [b] Department of Rehabilitation, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Maebashi, Japan
| [c] Department of Radiology, Gunma University Hospital, Maebashi, Japan
| [d] Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Yoshio Ikeda, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan. Tel.: +81 27 220 8060; Fax: +81 27 220 8067; E-mail: ikeday006@gunma-u.ac.jp.
Abstract: Neuroimages of cerebral amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation and small vessel disease (SVD) were examined in patients with various types of cognitive disorders using 11C-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B-positron emission tomography (PiB-PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The mean cortical standardized uptake value ratio (mcSUVR) was applied for a quantitative analysis of PiB-PET data. The severity of white matter lesions (WML) and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) on MRI were assessed to evaluate complicating cerebral SVD using semiquantitative scales. In homozygous apolipoprotein E ɛ3/ɛ3 carriers, the incidence of more severe WML and EPVS was higher in PiB-positive than PiB-negative patients, indicating that WML and EPVS might be associated with enhanced Aβ accumulation. An association study between PiB-PET and MRI findings revealed that higher WML grades significantly correlate with lower mcSUVRs, especially in the frontal area, indicating that more severe ischemic MRI findings are associated with milder Aβ accumulation among patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In these patients SVD may accelerate the occurrence of cognitive decline and facilitate early recognition of dementia.
