Published in

Psychiatry Online, The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 3(21), p. 259-265

DOI: 10.1176/jnp.2009.21.3.259

Psychiatry Online, The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 3(21), p. 259-265

DOI: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.21.3.259

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Neuroimaging Correlates of Apathy and Depression in Alzheimer’s Disease

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Red circle
Preprint: archiving forbidden
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

A consecutive series of 79 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease were assessed with a structured psychiatric evaluation, and diagnoses of apathy and depression were made using standardized criteria. Three-dimensional MRI scans were obtained from all patients, and images were segmented into gray matter, white matter, and CSF. White matter hyperintensities were edited on segmented images, and lobar assignments (frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital) were made based on Talairach coordinates. Patients with apathy showed a significantly larger volume of frontal white matter hyperintensities than patients without apathy. Patients with depression had a significantly larger volume of right parietal white matter hyperintensities than patients without depression. However, neither apathy nor depression was significantly associated with lobar gray or white matter atrophy. Frontal and right parietal white matter hyperintensities are the strongest brain structural correlates of apathy and depression in Alzheimer's disease.