Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) has been shown to progress more rapidly than late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). However, no studies have compared the topography of brain volume reduction over time. The purpose of this 3-year longitudinal study was to compare EOAD and LOAD in terms of their rates of decline in cognitive testing and topography of cortical thinning. We prospectively recruited 36 patients with AD (14 EOAD and 22 LOAD) and 14 normal controls. All subjects were assessed with neuropsychological tests and with magnetic resonance imaging at baseline, Year 1, and Year 3. The EOAD group showed more rapid decline than the LOAD group in attention, language, and frontal-executive tests. The EOAD group also showed more rapid cortical thinning in widespread association cortices. In contrast, the LOAD group presented more rapid cortical thinning than the EOAD group only in the left parahippocampal gyrus. Our study suggests that patients with EOAD show more rapid cortical atrophy than patients with LOAD, which accounts for faster cognitive decline on neuropsychological tests.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2013.01.004

Type

Journal article

Journal

Neurobiol Aging

Publication Date

07/2013

Volume

34

Pages

1921.e9 - 1921.e15

Keywords

Age of Onset, Aged, Alzheimer Disease, Atrophy, Cerebral Cortex, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies