Magnetic Resonance Volumetry: Prediction of Subjective Memory Complaints and Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Associations with Genetic and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Sigbjørn Rogne; Torgil Vangberg; Petter Eldevik; Gry Wikran; Ellisiv B Mathiesen; Henrik Schirmer

doi:10.1159/000450885

Magnetic Resonance Volumetry: Prediction of Subjective Memory Complaints and Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Associations with Genetic and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Dement Geriatr Cogn Dis Extra. 2016 Nov 25;6(3):529-540. doi: 10.1159/000450885. eCollection 2016 Sep-Dec.

Authors

Sigbjørn Rogne¹, Torgil Vangberg², Petter Eldevik², Gry Wikran³, Ellisiv B Mathiesen⁴, Henrik Schirmer⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
² Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Radiology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
³ Department of Radiology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
⁴ Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Neurology and Neurophysiology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
⁵ Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Cardiology, Division of Cardiothoracic and Respiratory Disease, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.

Abstract

Background/aims: Subjective memory complaints (SMC) are strong predictors of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subsequent Alzheimer's disease. Our aims were to see if fully automated cerebral MR volume measurements could distinguish subjects with SMC and MCI from controls, and if probable parental late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), apolipoprotein E ε4 genotype, total plasma homocysteine, and cardiovascular risk factors were associated with MR volumetric findings.

Methods: 198 stroke-free subjects comprised the control (n = 58), the SMC (n = 25) and the MCI (n = 115) groups. Analysis of covariance and receiver operating characteristic curve was used to see if MR volumetry distinguished subjects with SMC and MCI from controls.

Results: Subjects with SMC and MCI had significantly larger lateral ventricles and smaller hippocampal volumes than controls. The area under the curve in subjects with SMC and MCI compared to that of controls was less than 0.68 for all volumes of intracranial structures. There was an interaction between sex and probable parental LOAD for hippocampal volume, with a significant association between probable parental LOAD and hippocampal volume in women.

Conclusions: Fully automated MR volumetry can distinguish subjects with SMC and MCI from controls in a general population, but insufficiently to assume a clear clinical role. Research on sporadic LOAD might benefit from a sex-specific search for genetic risk factors.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Apolipoprotein E4; Cardiovascular risk factors; Family history; Gender; Homocysteine; Magnetic resonance imaging; Mild cognitive impairment; Subjective memory complaints.