Original Research Article

Structural Correlates of Apathy in Alzheimer's Disease
Liana G. Apostolova^{a, b}, Gohar G. Akopyan^a, Negar Partiali^a, Calen A. Steiner^a, Rebecca A. Dutton^b, Kiralee M. Hayashi^b, Ivo D. Dinov^{b, c}, Arthur W. Toga^{a, b}, Jeffrey L. Cummings^{a, d}, Paul M. Thompson<sup>a, b

a</sup>Department of Neurology,
^bLaboratory of Neuro Imaging,
^cDepartment of Statistics, and
^dDepartment of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif., USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2007;24:91-97 (DOI: 10.1159/000103914)

  Key Words

• Apathy
• Alzheimer's disease
• Neuropsychiatric Inventory
• Cingulate gyrus
• Atrophy

  Abstract

Background: Apathy is the most common noncognitive symptom inAlzheimer's disease (AD). The structural correlates of apathy in AD have not yet been described. Methods: We analyzed magnetic resonance imaging data of 35 AD patients with and without apathy. Results: There was a significant linear association between apathy severity and cortical gray matter atrophy in the bilateral anterior cingulate [Brodmann area (BA) 24; r = 0.39-0.42, p = 0.01] and left medial frontal cortex (BA 8 and 9; r = 0.4, p < 0.02). Left mean cingulate cortical thinning predicted the presence/absence of apathy at the trend level of significance. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates a strong association between apathy and the integrity of medial frontal regions in AD.

Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Liana G. Apostolova, MD
Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
10911 Weyburn, 2nd floor
Los Angeles, CA 90095 (USA)
Tel. +1 310 794 2551, Fax +1 310 794 3148, E-Mail lapostolova@mednet.ucla.edu

  Article Information

Accepted: April 14, 2007
Published online: June 14, 2007
Number of Print Pages : 7
Number of Figures : 2, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 31