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. 2020 Oct;14(5):1792-1804.
doi: 10.1007/s11682-019-00115-6.

Detecting biological heterogeneity patterns in ADNI amnestic mild cognitive impairment based on volumetric MRI

Ali Ezzati  1   2 , Andrea R Zammit  3 , Christian Habeck  4 , Charles B Hall  5 , Richard B Lipton  3   6   5 ; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Affiliations

Detecting biological heterogeneity patterns in ADNI amnestic mild cognitive impairment based on volumetric MRI

Ali Ezzati et al. Brain Imaging Behav. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

There is substantial biological heterogeneity among older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). We hypothesized that this heterogeneity can be detected solely based on volumetric MRI measures, which potentially have clinical implications and can improve our ability to predict clinical outcomes. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify subgroups among persons with aMCI (n = 696) enrolled in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), based on baseline volumetric MRI measures. We used volumetric measures of 10 different brain regions. The subgroups were validated with respect to demographics, cognitive performance, and other AD biomarkers. The subgroups were compared with each other and with normal and Alzheimer's disease (AD) groups with respect to baseline cognitive function and longitudinal rate of conversion. Four aMCI subgroups emerged with distinct MRI patterns: The first subgroup (n = 404), most similar to normal controls in volumetric characteristics and cognitive function, had the lowest incidence of AD. The second subgroup (n = 230) had the most similar MRI profile to early AD, along with poor performance in memory and executive function domains. The third subgroup (n = 36) had the highest global atrophy, very small hippocampus and worst overall cognitive performance. The fourth subgroup (n = 26) had the least amount of atrophy, however still had poor cognitive function specifically in in the executive function domain. Individuals with aMCI who were clinically categorized within one group other showed substantial heterogeneity based on MRI volumetric measures.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Amnestic MCI; Cognitive function; Latent class analysis; Volumetric MRI.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest None reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Comparison of volumetric measures of ROIs included in LCA. The z scores shown were created by subtracting the ADNI normal control (CN) mean and dividing by the ADNI CN standard deviation for each biomarker shown so that zero represents the mean of the CN group
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Neuropsychological performance for the CN, AD, and MCI subgroups. Error bars denote 1 standard error of mean
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
CSF biomarkers for the CN, AD, and MCI subgroups. Error bars denote 1 standard error of mean
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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