Original Research Article

Longitudinal Study of Amnesic Patients at High Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease: Clinical, Neuropsychological and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Features
Lorena Rami^a, Beatriz Gómez-Anson^{b, c}, Raquel Sanchez-Valle^a, Beatriz Bosch^a, Gemma C. Monte^{b, c}, Albert Lladó^a, José L. Molinuevo<sup>a, c

a</sup>Department of Neurology, Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit, Institute of Neurosciences, and
^bDepartment of Radiology, Diagnostic Imaging Centre (CDI), Hospital Clinic i Universitari de Barcelona, and
^cInstitut d’Investigaciò Biomédica August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain

Address of Corresponding Author

Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2007;24:402-410 (DOI: 10.1159/000109750)

  Key Words

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Mild cognitive impairment
• Spectroscopy
• Neuropsychology
• Prodromal AD

  Abstract

Background/Aims: To prospectively follow up a group of amnesic patients at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), to characterize a group of patients whose features were intermediate between amnesic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and probable AD, prodromal AD (Prd-AD), and to investigate if these patients were at higher risk for AD conversion. Methods: A total of 109 subjects were assessed by neuropsychological evaluation and by ¹H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-MRS): 27 controls, and 16 aMCI, 34 probable AD and 32 Prd-AD patients. Results: Episodic memory and frontal test scores resulted lower in Prd-AD compared to aMCI patients. Prd-AD patients obtained significantly higher scores than AD ones in language, perception, praxis and frontal functions. Although Prd-AD and AD patients had distinct ¹H-MRS features from aMCI ones, there were no ¹H-MRS differences between Prd-AD and AD patients. The AD annual conversion rate after 1 year of follow-up for Prd-AD (57.1%) was higher than in aMCI patients (20%; p < 0.01). A logistic regression, in which all amnesic patients were treated as a single group, showed that the Visual Memory Test was a significant neuropsychological predictor for AD conversion. Conclusions: Prd-AD patients are a clinically distinguishable group, with distinct neuropsychological and ¹H-MRS features and a higher conversion rate to probable AD than aMCI patients.

Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Dr. José Luis Molinuevo
Department of Neurology, Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Cognitive Disorders Unit
Hospital Clinic i Universitari de Barcelona
C/Villarroell, 170, ES–08036 Barcelona (Spain)
Tel. +34 93 227 5514, Fax +34 93 227 5783, E-Mail jlmoli@clinic.ub.es

  Article Information

Accepted: April 27, 2007
Published online: October 12, 2007
Number of Print Pages : 9
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 4, Number of References : 41