Neuroimaging Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease and Cerebrovascular Disease in Patients with Subjective Cognitive Concerns and Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

In these studies, patients with subjective cognitive concerns (SCC; n = 43) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 18), were compared using neuroimaging biomarkers for β-amyloid, white matter hyperintensities (WMH) of presumed vascular origin, and cerebral perfusion. Higher WMH burden was found in SCC compared to MCI (p = 0.02). In the whole cohort, there was a correlation between higher β-amyloid accumulation and lower left (p = 0.02) and right temporal gyrus perfusion (p = 0.05), while higher WMH burden was associated with lower perfusion in the cortical grey matter (p = 0.01), posterior cingulate cortex (p = 0.02) and right temporal gyrus (p = 0.01). Exploratory comparisons suggested lower perfusion in the left temporal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex in amnestic MCI (n = 12) compared to non-amnestic MCI (n = 6). These findings suggest that pathologies consistent with dementia are evident in early cognitive decline.