Cortical correlates of affective syndrome in dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are prevalent, however their relationship with patterns of cortical atrophy is not fully known. Objectives To compare cortical atrophy’s patterns between AD patients and healthy controls; to verify correlations between neuropsychiatric syndromes and cortical atrophy. Method 33 AD patients were examined by Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). Patients and 29 controls underwent a 3T MRI scanning. We considered four NPI syndromes: affective, apathy, hyperactivity and psychosis. Correlations between structural imaging and neuropsychiatric scores were performed by Freesurfer. Results were significant with a p-value < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons. Results Patients exhibited atrophy in entorhinal cortices, left inferior and middle temporal gyri, and precuneus bilaterally. There was correlation between affective syndrome and cortical thickness in right frontal structures, insula and temporal pole. Conclusion Cortical thickness measures revealed atrophy in mild AD. Depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with atrophy of right frontal, temporal and insular cortices.