Yongxia Zhou1, Yulin Ge1, John H.
Dougherty2
1Radiology/Center for
Biomedical Imaging, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY,
United States; 2Medicine & Cole Neuroscience Center,
University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, United
States
Using recently developed shape and thickness analysis, 17 subcortical brain structures have been studied in 9 early Alzheimer disease (AD) patients and 9 age-matched controls. Shape analysis via spherical harmonic approximation method showed either overall or tail/head deformation in AD patients on their 3D surface rendering views. Thickness analysis also showed structural distance map differences between two groups in several structures including amygdala and dorsal caudate. A strong negative correlation between structural thickness and fractional anisotropy from DTI was found in controls only. Local morphological changes demonstrated with 3D-shape and thickness analysis may have potential in early diagnosis of AD.