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The relationship between fMRI activation and cerebral atrophy: comparison of normal aging and alzheimer disease
Johnson SC, Saykin AJ, Baxter LC, Flashman LA, Santulli RB, McAllister TW, Mamourian AC.. NeuroImage, 2000-03-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Functional MRI has recently been used to examine activation associated with aging and dementia, yet little is known regarding the effect of cerebral atrophy on fMRI signal. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between measures of global and regionally specific atrophy and fMRI activation in normal aging and in Alzheimer disease (AD). Two groups of subjects were studied with echoplanar imaging and quantitative structural volumetry: healthy controls spanning a broad age and atrophy range (n = 16) and patients with mild AD (n = 8). Results from a semantic task previously found to activate left inferior frontal (LIFG) and left superior temporal (LSTG) gyri were analyzed. The correlations between clusters of activation in the LIFG and LSTG and measures of local atrophy in the LIFG and LSTG regions were evaluated. For control subjects, there was no significant correlation between activation and regional or total brain atrophy (for LIFG r = -0.03, NS; for LSTG r = 0.20, NS). In contrast, for AD patients, there was a significant positive correlation between atrophy and activation in LIFG (r = 0.70, P = 0.05) but not LSTG (r = 0.00, NS). These results suggest that activation of language regions and atrophy within those regions may be independent among healthy adults spanning a broad age and atrophy range. However, in AD, a relationship exists in the LIFG that may reflect compensatory recruitment of cortical units or disease-specific changes in the hemodynamic response.
Key findings
- Functional MRI has recently been used to examine activation associated with aging and dementia, yet little is known regarding the effect of cerebral atrophy on fMRI signal.
- Results from a semantic task previously found to activate left inferior frontal (LIFG) and left superior temporal (LSTG) gyri were analyzed.
- For control subjects, there was no significant correlation between activation and regional or total brain atrophy (for LIFG r = -0.03, NS; for LSTG r = 0.20, NS).
- In contrast, for AD patients, there was a significant positive correlation between atrophy and activation in LIFG (r = 0.70, P = 0.05) but not LSTG (r = 0.00, NS).
- These results suggest that activation of language regions and atrophy within those regions may be independent among healthy adults spanning a broad age and atrophy range.
Why it matters
In this small study, Alzheimer's patients showed a positive correlation between atrophy and brain activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus, while healthy controls showed no such relationship. This is about how brain imaging signals relate to atrophy in Alzheimer's, not about treating, curing or preventing the disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Brain scans & tests →
Study details
- Participants16
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 44/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, 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 | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2000 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 16 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 147 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.2 citations a year over 28 year(s) since 2000 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Alexander C. Mamourian: h-index 38 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | New Hampshire Hospital: institution h-index 78 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 10694460) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
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 names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Johnson, S. C., Saykin, A. J., Baxter, L. C., Flashman, L. A., Santulli, R. B., McAllister, T. W., et al. (2000). The relationship between fMRI activation and cerebral atrophy: comparison of normal aging and alzheimer disease. NeuroImage. https://doi.org/10.1006/nimg.1999.0530
Vancouver
Johnson SC, Saykin AJ, Baxter LC, Flashman LA, Santulli RB, McAllister TW, et al. The relationship between fMRI activation and cerebral atrophy: comparison of normal aging and alzheimer disease. NeuroImage. 2000. doi:10.1006/nimg.1999.0530. PMID: 10694460.
BibTeX
@article{johnson2000-10694460,
author = {Johnson, S. C. and Saykin, A. J. and Baxter, L. C. and Flashman, L. A. and Santulli, R. B. and McAllister, T. W. and Mamourian, A. C.},
title = {{The relationship between fMRI activation and cerebral atrophy: comparison of normal aging and alzheimer disease}},
journal = {NeuroImage},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1006/nimg.1999.0530},
pmid = {10694460},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1006/nimg.1999.0530}
}
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