Brain volumes and their ratios in Alzheimer´s disease on magnetic resonance imaging segmented using Freesurfer 6.0

Ales Bartos; David Gregus; Ibrahim Ibrahim; Jaroslav Tintěra

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.01.014

Brain volumes and their ratios in Alzheimer´s disease on magnetic resonance imaging segmented using Freesurfer 6.0

Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2019 May 30:287:70-74. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.01.014. Epub 2019 Mar 19.

Authors

Ales Bartos¹, David Gregus², Ibrahim Ibrahim³, Jaroslav Tintěra⁴

Affiliations

¹ National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany 250 67, Czechia; Charles University, Third Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Department of Neurology, AD Center, Šrobárova 50, 100 34 Prague 10, Czechia. Electronic address: ales.bartos@nudz.cz.
² National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany 250 67, Czechia; Charles University, Third Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Královské Vinohrady, Department of Neurology, AD Center, Šrobárova 50, 100 34 Prague 10, Czechia.
³ Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Czechia.
⁴ National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany 250 67, Czechia; Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Czechia.

PMID: 31003044
DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2019.01.014

Abstract

Ratios between opposing volumes from brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide additional information to volumes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brain three-dimensional MPRAGE MRI at 3T were segmented into 44 regions using FreeSurfer v6 in 75 participants. The region's size in absolute volumes and relative proportions to the whole brain volume were compared between 39 AD patients and 36 age-, education- and sex-matched normal controls (NC). Volumes of the most atrophied parts were related to the opposing volumes of the most enlarged parts as ratios. The most atrophic structures in AD were both hippocampi. By contrast, the greatest enlargements in AD were inferior parts of both lateral ventricles. The best ratio for each side was the hippocampo-horn proportion calculated as ratio: the hippocampus / (the hippocampus + inferior lateral ventricle). Its optimal cut-off of 74% yielded sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 78% on the left and sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 78% on the right. The hippocampo-horn proportion is another measure to evaluate the degree of hippocampal atrophy on brain MRI in percentages. It has a potential to be simplified into a comparison of two-dimensional corresponding areas or a visual assessment.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Dementia; FreeSurfer; MRI; Magnetic resonance imaging; Mild cognitive impairment; Volumetry.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Algorithms
Alzheimer Disease / pathology*
Atrophy / pathology
Brain / pathology*
Female
Hippocampus / pathology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Sensitivity and Specificity