Different Patterns of Correlation between Grey and White Matter Integrity Account for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease.
Behavioral disorders and psychological symptoms (BPSD) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are known to correlate with grey matter (GM) atrophy and, as shown recently, also with white matter (WM) damage. WM damage and its relationship with GM atrophy are reported in AD, reinforcing the interpretation of the AD pathology in light of a disconnection syndrome. It remains uncertain whether this disconnection might account also for different BPSD observable in AD. Here, we tested the hypothesis of different patterns of association between WM damage of the corpus callosum (CC) and GM atrophy in AD patients exhibiting one of the following BPSD clusters: Mood (i.e., anxiety and depression; ADmood), Frontal (i.e., dishinibition and elation; ADfrontal), and Psychotic (delusions and hallucinations; ADpsychotic) related symptoms, as well as AD patients without BPSD. Overall, this study brings to light the strict relationship between WM alterations in different parts of the CC and GM atrophy in AD patients exhibiting BPSD, supporting the hypothesis that such symptoms are likely to be caused by characteristic patterns of neurodegeneration of WM and GM, rather than being a reactive response to accumulation of cognitive disabilities, and should therefore be regarded as potential markers of diagnostic and prognostic value in AD.
['Makovac|Elena|E|', 'Serra|Laura|L|', 'Spanò|Barbara|B|', 'Giulietti|Giovanni|G|', 'Torso|Mario|M|', 'Cercignani|Mara|M|', 'Caltagirone|Carlo|C|', 'Bozzali|Marco|M|']
D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D000544:Alzheimer Disease D001284:Atrophy D001921:Brain D003863:Depression D005260:Female D066128:Gray Matter D006212:Hallucinations D006801:Humans D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D009483:Neuropsychological Tests D066127:White Matter
white matter behavioral grey matter Alzheimer’s disease magnetic resonance imaging