Objective: To study the brain volume changes of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Methods: 23 patients with (AD and 23 sex, age, and educational background-matched normal controls (NC group) underwent three-dimensional MRI to measure the hippocampus, amygdala, entorhinal cortex (EC), perirhinal cortex (PC), cornu temporale, and uncus distance in the baseline survey. Two years later 10 AD patients and 11 normal controls underwent 3-D MRI once again in the follow-up survey.
Results: The baseline survey showed that the levels of uncus distance and total temporal horn volume of the ADS patients were 11 +/- 4 and 1.21 +/- 1.00 respectively, both significantly higher than those of the NC group (7 +/- 3 and 0.59 +/- 0.54 respectively, P < 0.01, P < 0.05), and the levels of total entorhinal cortex volume, total perirhinal cortex volume, and total hippocampus volume were 2.52 +/- 0.86, 2.19 +/- 0.62, and 3.23 +/- 0.75 respectively, all significantly lower than those of the BC group (3.67 +/- 0.54, 3.39 +/- 0.51, and 3.98 0.38, all P < 0.01). The levels of uncus distance and total temporal horn volume of the AD patients during the follow-up survey were 11 +/- 4 and 1.21 +/- 1.00 respectively, both significantly higher than those of the NC group (7 +/- 3 and 0.59 +/- 0.54 respectively, both P < 0.05); and the total entorhinal cortex volume, total perirhinal cortex volume, and total hippocampus volume of the AD patients during the followup survey were. 1.79 +/- 0.56, 1.77 +/- 0.59, and 2.80 +/- 0.80 respectively, all significantly lower than those of the NC group (2.76 +/- 0.50, 2.76 +/- 0.41, and 3.59 +/- 0.38 respectively, all P < 0.01).
Conclusion: The AD patients have more remarkable atrophy of entorhinal cortex, perirhinal cortex, and have obvious extension of cornu temporale and uncus distance in comparison with the normal controls. The shrinkage rate of hippocampus can be used as a marker for the diagnosis and progress of AD.