Postmortem brain MRI reveals differential associations of subcortical and limbic volumes with cortical thinning and neurodegenerative pathologies.
Postmortem brain MRI reveals differential associations of subcortical and limbic volumes with cortical thinning and neurodegenerative pathologies.
Where did the research take place?
The study site has not been established. Author addresses may differ from where the research occurred.
Philadelphia, US · Author affiliation
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.Location evidence
Charlestown, US · Author affiliation
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.Location evidence
US · Author affiliation · country only
University of Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, USA.Location evidence
Lund, SE · Author affiliation
Lund University, Lund, Sweden.Location evidence
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Original abstract
INTRODUCTION: The impact of different neuropathologies on deep brain structures remains to be understood. We examine subcortical and limbic volumetry in neurodegenerative diseases involving phosphorylated tau (p-tau), α-synuclein, and transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43). METHODS: We acquired neuropathological measures and brain segmentations from postmortem analysis of 132 donors with Alzheimer's disease (AD), Lewy body disease (LBD), frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 (FTLD-TDP), and FTLD-tau. RESULTS: LBD had the least subcortical, limbic, and cortical atrophy compared to AD, FTLD-TDP, and FTLD-tau. In donors with both AD and LBD pathologies, primary LBD was associated with less atrophy than primary AD. While AD had cortico-subcortical and cortico-limbic morphometric associations, LBD had more limited parieto-occipital cortico-limbic associations. FTLD-TDP had cortico-subcortical while FTLD-tau had cortico-subcortical and cortico-limbic associations. In AD and FTLD-tau, hippocampal volumes correlated with p-tau burden, neuron loss, and gliosis. In LBD, thalamic α-synuclein severity was associated with subcortical/limbic volumes. DISCUSSION: Postmortem neuroimaging reveals disease- and region-specific structure-pathology relationships.