Apathy is the commonest neuropsychiatric symptom in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Previous findings suggest that apathy is caused by a communication breakdown between functional neural networks involved in motivational–affective processing. This study investigated the relationship between white matter (WM) damage and apathy in AD. Sixty-one patients with apathy (AP-PT) and 61 without apathy (NA-PT) were identified from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database and matched for cognitive status, age and education. Sixty-one cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants were also included as controls. Data on cognitive performance, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, brain/WM hyperintensity volumes and diffusion tensor imaging indices were compared across groups. No neurocognitive differences were found between patient groups, but the AP-PT group had more severe neuropsychiatric symptoms. Compared with CU participants, only apathetic patients had deficits on the Clock Drawing Test. AP-PT had increased WM damage, both macrostructurally, i.e., larger WM hyperintensity volume, and microstructurally, i.e., increased radial/axial diffusivity and reduced fractional anisotropy in the fornix, cingulum, anterior thalamic radiations and superior longitudinal and uncinate fasciculi. AP-PT showed signs of extensive WM damage, especially in associative tracts in the frontal lobes, fornix and cingulum. Disruption in structural connectivity might affect crucial functional inter-network communication, resulting in motivational deficits and worse cognitive decline.

Macrostructural and Microstructural White Matter Alterations Are Associated with Apathy across the Clinical Alzheimer’s Disease Spectrum / Manca, R.; Jones, S. A.; Venneri, A.. - In: BRAIN SCIENCES. - ISSN 2076-3425. - 12:10(2022), p. 1383.1383. [10.3390/brainsci12101383]

Macrostructural and Microstructural White Matter Alterations Are Associated with Apathy across the Clinical Alzheimer’s Disease Spectrum

Venneri A.
2022-01-01

Abstract

Apathy is the commonest neuropsychiatric symptom in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Previous findings suggest that apathy is caused by a communication breakdown between functional neural networks involved in motivational–affective processing. This study investigated the relationship between white matter (WM) damage and apathy in AD. Sixty-one patients with apathy (AP-PT) and 61 without apathy (NA-PT) were identified from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database and matched for cognitive status, age and education. Sixty-one cognitively unimpaired (CU) participants were also included as controls. Data on cognitive performance, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, brain/WM hyperintensity volumes and diffusion tensor imaging indices were compared across groups. No neurocognitive differences were found between patient groups, but the AP-PT group had more severe neuropsychiatric symptoms. Compared with CU participants, only apathetic patients had deficits on the Clock Drawing Test. AP-PT had increased WM damage, both macrostructurally, i.e., larger WM hyperintensity volume, and microstructurally, i.e., increased radial/axial diffusivity and reduced fractional anisotropy in the fornix, cingulum, anterior thalamic radiations and superior longitudinal and uncinate fasciculi. AP-PT showed signs of extensive WM damage, especially in associative tracts in the frontal lobes, fornix and cingulum. Disruption in structural connectivity might affect crucial functional inter-network communication, resulting in motivational deficits and worse cognitive decline.
2022
Macrostructural and Microstructural White Matter Alterations Are Associated with Apathy across the Clinical Alzheimer’s Disease Spectrum / Manca, R.; Jones, S. A.; Venneri, A.. - In: BRAIN SCIENCES. - ISSN 2076-3425. - 12:10(2022), p. 1383.1383. [10.3390/brainsci12101383]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/2933211
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