Altered Neuroanatomical Asymmetries of Subcortical Structures in Subjective Cognitive Decline, Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer’s Disease

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Fu, Zhenrong^{a; b} | Zhao, Mingyan^{c; d} | Wang, Xuetong^{a; b} | He, Yirong^{a; b} | Tian, Yuan^{a; b} | Yang, Yujing^{a; b} | Han, Ying^{d; e; f; g; *} | Li, Shuyu^{a; b; *}

Affiliations: [a] School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China | [b] Beijing Advanced Innovation Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China | [c] Department of Neurology, Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei, China | [d] Department of Neurology, XuanWu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China | [e] Center of Alzheimer’s Disease, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China | [f] Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Beijing, China | [g] National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Beijing, China

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Shuyu Li, School of Biological Science & Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, 100083, China. E-mail: shuyuli@buaa.edu.cn. Ying Han, Department of Neurology, XuanWu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100053, China. E-mail: hanying@xwh.ccmu.edu.cn.

Abstract: Background:Individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), defined by self-reported memory complaints but normal performance in objective neuropsychological tests, may be at higher risk of worsening or more frequent memory loss until conversion to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or related dementia. Asymmetry in two hemispheres is a cardinal character of human brain’s structure and function, and altered brain asymmetry has also been connected with AD. Objective:This study aimed to determine whether the asymmetry of subcortical structures in individuals with SCD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and AD patients are altered compared with normal controls (NC). Methods:We investigated neuroanatomical alterations in 35 SCD, 43 aMCI, and 41 AD subjects compared with 42 NC, focusing on asymmetrical changes in subcortical structures based on structural magnetic resonance images (sMRI). General linear model was conducted to test group differences, and partial correlation was used to model the interaction between asymmetry measurements and cognitive tests. Results:Individuals with SCD (lateral ventricle and cerebellum-WM), aMCI patients (lateral ventricle, pallidum, hippocampus, amygdala, accumbens, and ventral DC), and AD patients (lateral-ventricle, cerebellum-cortical pallidum, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, accumbens, and ventral DC) exhibited significant altered neuroanatomical asymmetries of volume, surface area, and shape compared with NC. Significant associations between shape asymmetry and neuropsychological examinations were found in the hippocampus and accumbens. Conclusion:Altered neuroanatomical asymmetries of subcortical structures were significantly detected in SCD individuals and aMCI patients as well AD patients, and these specific asymmetry alterations are potential to be used as neuroimaging markers and for monitoring disease progression.

Keywords: Brainprint, brain asymmetry, early diagnosis, subjective cognitive decline

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-201116

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 79, no. 3, pp. 1121-1132, 2021