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Review
. 2011 Dec;32 Suppl 1(0 1):S48-57.
doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2011.09.011.

Alliance for aging research AD biomarkers work group: structural MRI

Clifford R Jack Jr  1
Affiliations
Review

Alliance for aging research AD biomarkers work group: structural MRI

Clifford R Jack Jr. Neurobiol Aging. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are increasingly important. All modern AD therapeutic trials employ AD biomarkers in some capacity. In addition, AD biomarkers are an essential component of recently updated diagnostic criteria for AD from the National Institute on Aging--Alzheimer's Association. Biomarkers serve as proxies for specific pathophysiological features of disease. The 5 most well established AD biomarkers include both brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) measures--cerebrospinal fluid Abeta and tau, amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography, and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This article reviews evidence supporting the position that MRI is a biomarker of neurodegenerative atrophy. Topics covered include methods of extracting quantitative and semiquantitative information from structural MRI; imaging-autopsy correlation; and evidence supporting diagnostic and prognostic value of MRI measures. Finally, the place of MRI in a hypothetical model of temporal ordering of AD biomarkers is reviewed.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Progressive atrophy (especially medial temporal lobes) in elderly cognitively normal (CN), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Topography of grey matter loss vs. Braak stage.
Figure 3
Figure 3
MRI STructural Abnormality iNDex (STAND) score vs. Braak stage.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Amyloid and neurodegeneration model. Abbreviations: PIB, Pittsburgh Compound B; MCI, mild cognitive impairment; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging. Modified from Jack et al., 2009.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Expanded model with 5 biomarkers. Aβ, amyloid-beta; MCI, mild cognitive impairment. Modified from Jack et al., 2010a.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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