2023 Alzheimer's Association Research Grant (AARG)
Cortical dMRI microstructure as an early marker of AD pathology
Can a new MRI method be used to detect early brain changes in Alzheimer’s?
Talia Nir, Ph.D.
University of Southern California - Keck School of Medicine
Marina Del Rey, CA - United States
Background
Alzheimer’s and other dementia are progressive disorders which can start many years before memory loss and other cognitive symptoms become evident. Researchers are identifying new ways to detect the early brain changes that occur to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s at its earliest stage, when therapies could be the most effective.
Two of the most used techniques to diagnose Alzheimer’s are positron emission tomography (PET) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which can measure tau and beta-amyloid proteins, two hallmark brain changes in Alzheimer’s, and changes in the brain’s structure, respectively. However, PET procedures are expensive and not easily available in many areas, and structural MRI brain scans are limited by their low resolution. Dr. Talia Nir and colleagues propose a more sophisticated MRI, called diffusion MRI (dMRI), which could be used to detect the subtle patterns of change that distinguish the early signs of Alzheimer’s.
Research Plan
Dr. Nir and the team will use dMRI brain scan datasets from more than 1,800 individuals – including over 500 individuals with Alzheimer’s or mild cognitive impairment and over 1,200 cognitively unimpaired individuals. They will use the dMRI images to identify structural changes in the cortical gray matter, a specific region of the brain where the earliest brain structure changes in Alzheimer’s occur, and associate the extent of these changes with each individuals’ cognitive function. Next, the team will leverage PET brain scan datasets to examine the relationship between cortical gray matter structural changes with beta-amyloid and tau accumulation that are detectable by PET brain scans.
Impact
The results of this project could identify a non-invasive and reliable method for detecting brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s. If successful, the results could also be used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s at an early stage.