FUNCTIONAL MRI FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF ALZHEIMER DISEASE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Our previous research has demonstrated that the genetic marker, apolipoprotein E type 4 allele (APOE-4) is correlated with the increased risk of Alzheimer disease (AD). While a variety of neuropsychological and functional imaging tests have been demonstrated to predict subsequent cognitive decline, such studies are unlikely to identify very early abnormalities because they: (1) assess brain function during a "resting" state when mental activity is poorly controlled and the specific mental processes showing impairment are not activated; (2) often include subjects without genetic risk for subsequent decline; and, most importantly (3) emphasize measures sensitive only to advanced disease and substantial neuronal loss. In the research proposed here, we aim to study functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) during cognitive activation tasks in a cohort of individuals genetically at-risk for AD. We hypothesize that, prior to the appearance of overt neuropsychological decline, the earl y processes of neuronal dysfunction will have resulted in compensatory cognitive strategies such that the pattern of neuronal activation will differ in those individuals who will later develop more severe functional losses. We predict that such changes will be particularly apparent in brain regions most affected by AD, including posterior parietal, mesial temporal/hippocampal and pre-frontal regions, and further, that these activation studies will predict cognitive decline earlier and more accurately than other measures, thereby facilitating the development of interventional therapies.