Cortical Surface-based Index Change in Alzheimer's Continuum: a Structural MRI Study

Alzheimer’s disease remains the most common cause of dementia. To identify morphological difference in an early stage, we used surface-based method to detect the cerebral alternation in the Alzheimer’s continuum (subdivided into Alzheimer’s pathologic change and AD) based on the 2018 NIA-AA research framework. We found that the reductions in surface measures were greater in individuals labeled as AD than in participants with Alzheimer’s pathologic change, while these metrics were more significantly decreased in AD dementia patients. Our findings suggest that AD biological definition would be beneficial for earlier detection which could lead to early diagnosis and intervention.