Compare the preliminary results of a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis performed in patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in comparison to a control group with normal aging brain (NAB).

83 brain MRI scans were obtained a using 1.5T unit (3D T1w-FSPGR IR preped ASSET sequence acquired on the sagittal plane was used for the VBM analysis performed with FSL’s sienax tool [1-2]) during the Zabùt Aging Project (ZAP), a population-based, cohort study regarding aging and dementia conducted in Southern Italy. After the exclusion of subjects with severe leucoaraiosis, silent cerebral infarcts or any other findings that could affect the results 58 subjects (27 males and 31 females, mean age 72.95/SD 6.66 (range 61-85); aMCI...

Statistically significant differences were found between total gray matter volumes (TGMv) (p = 0.002) and total brain volume (TBv) (p = 0.004) in AD vs NAB; between TGMv (p = 0.005) and TBv (p = 0.004) in aMCI vs AD. No statistically significant differences were observed in VBM data between aMCI and NAB or between the white matter volumes within groups.

Our results, reflect what already reported the scientific literature and confirm the importance of VBM for the quantitative assessment of brain atrophy in subjects with cognitive impairment. The VBM prospective evaluation of aMCI subjects will help to clarify specific areas involved in AD-type neurodegenerative progression.

C. Gagliardo1, R. Laudicella1, R. Baschi2, M. Davì2, V. Restivo2, G. La Tona1, T. V. Bartolotta1, C. Cannizzaro3, R. Monastero2 Section of Radiological Sciences, Department of Biopathology and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother and Child Care "Giuseppe D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy. Corresponding author: Dr Cesare Gagliardo Address: Sezione di Scienze Radiologiche Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche Università degli Studi di...

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