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Regionally-specific diffusion tensor imaging in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease
Mielke MM, Kozauer NA, Chan KC, George M, Toroney J, Zerrate M, Bandeen-Roche K, Wang MC et al.. NeuroImage, 2009-02-05
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Background Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have shown significant cross-sectional differences among normal controls (NC) mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients in several fiber tracts in the brain, but longitudinal assessment is needed. Methods We studied 75 participants (25 NC, 25 amnestic MCI, and 25 mild AD) at baseline and 3 months later, with both imaging and clinical evaluations. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was analyzed in regions of interest (ROIs) in: (1) fornix, (2) cingulum bundle, (3) splenium, and (4) cerebral peduncles. Clinical data included assessments of clinical severity and cognitive function. Cross-sectional and longitudinal differences in FA, within each ROI, were analyzed with generalized estimating equations (GEE). Results Cross-sectionally, AD patients had lower FA than NC (p Conclusions Using DTI, findings indicate FA is decreased in specific fiber tracts among groups of subjects that vary along the spectrum from normal to AD, and that this measure is stable over short periods of time. The fornix is a predominant outflow tract of the hippocampus and may be an important indicator of AD progression.
Key findings
- Background Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have shown significant cross-sectional differences among normal controls (NC) mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients in several fiber tracts in the brain, but longitudinal assessment is needed.
- Results Cross-sectionally, AD patients had lower FA than NC (p Conclusions Using DTI, findings indicate FA is decreased in specific fiber tracts among groups of subjects that vary along the spectrum from normal to AD, and that this measure is stable over short periods of time.
Why it matters
This imaging study found lower fractional anisotropy in certain brain fiber tracts in people with Alzheimer's disease compared with normal controls, and these measures stayed stable over a short three-month period. The fornix was noted as a possible indicator of Alzheimer's progression, but the study did not test any treatment or prevention.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants75
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (NeuroImage) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | NeuroImage: journal h-index 523 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 75 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 227 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.9 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 12 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 20 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author James J. Pekar: h-index 71 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19457371) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 58 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.054
- PubMed: 19457371
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Mielke, M. M., Kozauer, N. A., Chan, K. C., George, M., Toroney, J., Zerrate, M., et al. (2009). Regionally-specific diffusion tensor imaging in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. NeuroImage. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.054
Vancouver
Mielke MM, Kozauer NA, Chan KC, George M, Toroney J, Zerrate M, et al. Regionally-specific diffusion tensor imaging in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. NeuroImage. 2009. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.054. PMID: 19457371.
BibTeX
@article{mielke2009-19457371,
author = {Mielke, M. M. and Kozauer, N. A. and Chan, K. C. and George, M. and Toroney, J. and Zerrate, M. and Bandeen-Roche, K. and Wang, M. C. and others},
title = {{Regionally-specific diffusion tensor imaging in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease}},
journal = {NeuroImage},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.054},
pmid = {19457371},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.01.054}
}
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