The fornix and mammillary bodies in older adults with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive complaints: A volumetric MRI study

Copenhaver, Brittany R.; Rabin, Laura A.; Saykin, Andrew J.; Roth, Robert M.; Wishart, Heather A.; Flashman, Laura A.; Santulli, Robert B.; McHugh, Tara L.; Mamourian, Alexander C.

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2006.01.015

« Previous Next »Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Volume 147, Issue 2 , Pages 93-103, 30 October 2006

The fornix and mammillary bodies in older adults with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and cognitive complaints: A volumetric MRI study

Brittany R. Copenhaver
- Department of Psychology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
Laura A. Rabin
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
- Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College/City University of New York, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA
Andrew J. Saykin
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
- Department of Radiology, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
- Corresponding author. Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA. Tel.: +1 603 650 5824.
Robert M. Roth
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
Heather A. Wishart
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
Laura A. Flashman
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
Robert B. Santulli
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
Tara L. McHugh
- Brain Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
Alexander C. Mamourian
- Department of Radiology, Dartmouth Medical School/DHMC, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA

Received 13 September 2005; received in revised form 21 January 2006; accepted 29 January 2006.

Abstract

The fornix and mammillary bodies are important limbic structures that have not been systematically investigated in the earliest stages of preclinical dementia. The present study examined volumetric changes in the fornix and mammillary bodies and improved previously established tracing guidelines to increase reliability and provide more comprehensive measurements. Volumetric measurements were made in euthymic older adults, including 16 patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), 20 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 20 individuals with cognitive complaints (CC) but normal neuropsychological test performance, and 20 demographically matched healthy controls (HC). Structural magnetic resonance imaging included a T1-weighted 1.5-mm coronal volume, acquired on a GE 1.5T LX scanner. After adjustment for total intracranial volume (ICV), significant volume reductions were observed in the fornix and mammillary bodies in patients with AD as compared with HC, CC, and MCI participants. No volume differences were seen between the HC, CC, and MCI groups. Study findings are consistent with previous research showing volume decreases of the fornix and mammillary bodies in AD, and provide new data on the relative preservation of these structures in preclinical disease stages. Results suggest that atrophy of the fornix and mammillary bodies becomes apparent at the point of conversion from MCI to AD. Longitudinal assessments are needed to delineate the time course and extent of the observed volumetric changes.