Evaluation of cortex and whole brain volumes and diffusion tensor imaging findings in alzheimer?s disease and mild cognitive impairment cases compared to control group

Purpose: To compare the whole brain and gray matter volume, fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of white matter in patients who were clinically diagnosed as Alzheimer?s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients with a healthy control group.Method: Alzheimer?s disease (26), mild cognitive impairment (18) and healthy control (16) groups were evaluated by using Volumetric MR and Diffusion tensor imaging techniques. Gray matter and whole brain volumes were measured from GRE 3D T1A coronal images. Measurements were made over the determined points in the white matter from mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps for DTI analysis. Results were examined statistically.Results: Total brain volumes of AD and MCI were found to be decreased compared to the control group, but the difference between AD and MCI was not significant. Gray matter volumes of Alzheimer patients were significantly decreased but this is not significant in MCI according to the HC. MD was found to be significantly different in all points but not in splenium between AD and HC. In bilateral hippocampus, anterior and posterior pericallosal and right parietal points, MD values were different between AD and MCI. MD was found to be significantly higher in all points except splenium and bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus between MCI and HC. Bilateral anterior pericallosal and left posterior pericallosal white matter FA values were significantly different between AD and MCI. FA values were found to be significantly different in all points between MCI and HC, also between AD and HC except splenium and right anterior cingulate gyrus.Conclusion: İmaging methods like whole brain and gray matter volume assessment and DTI contribute to differentiate AD and MCI, MCI and HC. So these can help to do early diagnosis and better management of the AD and MCI patients.Key Words: Alzheimer?s disease, mild cognitive impairment, volume assessment, diffusion tensor imaging