Abstract #4116

Is Myelin Content Altered in Alzheimer's Disease?

Sean C. Deoni¹, Stephen Correia², Tanja Su², Jessica Man², Paul Malloy³, Stephen Salloway³

¹School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States; ²Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States; ³Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States

Alzheimers Disease (AD) is a devastating neurological disorder, characterized by progressive impairment in memory, language, cognitive and behaviour. An emerging hypothesis of AD centers on the role of white matter alteration and, specifically, myelin loss, as a driving mechanism in the pathogenesis of the disorder. In this work, we directly investigate alteration in myelin content in mild AD for the first time using a rapid multicomponent relaxation time myelin imaging technique. Compared with healthy age-matched controls, we show reduced myelin content within the mild AD group that is significantly correlated with disability score (MMSE).