Visual Rating and Computer-Assisted Analysis of FDG PET in the Prediction of Conversion to Alzheimer’s Disease in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Neuroimaging and machine learning for studying the pathways from mild cognitive impairment to alzheimer's disease: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

This systematic review synthesizes the most recent neuroimaging procedures and machine learning approaches for the prediction of conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease dementia.

METHODS

We systematically searched PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) systematic review guidelines.

RESULTS

Our search returned 2572 articles, 56 of which met the criteria for inclusion in the final selection. The multimodality framework and deep learning techniques showed potential for predicting the conversion of MCI to AD dementia.

CONCLUSION

Findings of this systematic review identified that the possibility of using neuroimaging data processed by advanced learning algorithms is promising for the prediction of AD progression. We also provided a detailed description of the challenges that researchers are faced along with future research directions. The protocol has been registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews- CRD42019133402 and published in the Systematic Reviews journal.

Functional Neural Correlates of the WAIS-IV Block Design Test in Older Adult with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease

The Wechsler Adult intelligence scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Block design test (BDT) is a neuropsychological test widely used to assess cognitive declines in aging population. Previous studies suggest parietal lobe is the key region to influence the performance on the BDT; yet, it has not been clearly identified. The aim of the current study, therefore, is to identify the functional neural correlates of the BDT in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia patients. The current study includes 213 cognitively impaired mid to old-aged community dwelling Korean. All participants underwent comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological assessments and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans. Performance on the BDT was assessed using the WAIS-IV Korean version. Voxel-wise analyses were used to investigate the correlation between regional cerebral glucose metabolism and BDT performance. The same analyses were conducted on the subgroups categorized by clinical severity based on the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR). Significant positive correlations between performance on the BDT and regional cerebral glucose metabolism were found bilaterally in the inferior parietal lobules, right thalamus and right middle frontal gyrus. Our results suggest that performance on the BDT in MCI and AD patients functionally relies on the brain regions known to be associated with motor and executive functions in addition to visuospatial function.