Aims: The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether there were correlations between atrophy of the entorhinal cortex and individual regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to better clarify the relationships between morphological and functional changes in AD.
Methods: Twenty-six patients including sixteen AD and 10 amnestic MCI patients were enrolled. Z scores of voxel-based specific regional analysis system for AD (VSRAD) were determined to assess the degree of atrophy of the entorhinal cortex. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and 3-D stereotaxic region of interest template (3DSRT) were used to quantify absolute rCBF.
Results: The Z scores of the entorhinal cortex were found to have significant negative correlations with the absolute rCBF in the bilateral hippocampus, thalamus and temporal regions. A negative correlation between Z scores and rCBF of the cerebellum region, especially on the right side, was also noted.
Conclusions: Atrophy of the entorhinal cortex had an obvious functional relationship with rCBF changes in the hippocampus, thalamus, temporal lobe and cerebellum in AD and MCI patients, which was attributed to their close anatomical and physiological connections.