Neuroimaging Findings in Twins Discordant for Alzheimer’s Disease

Data from computed tomography (CT) scans of 12 twin pairs in which one partner had Azheimer’s disease (AD) and the other partner is cognitively intact were analyzed to study structural brain features associated with AD while controlling for familial factors. Visual ratings and analysis of quantified areas and volumes indicated that AD twins showed more dilation of temporal horns, lateral ventricles and third ventricle, and more atrophy of temporal lobes, particularly in the anterior temporal/perisylvian area, than their healthy cotwins. Demented twins did not have smaller intracranial areas or overall brain volumes than their intact partners. The apolipoprotein σ-4 allele was associated with greater dilation of lateral ventricles and ventricular volume. Significant intrapair correlations were found for total intracranial area and volume, cerebellar area and white matter lesions.

[1]  K Johansson,et al.  Heritability for Alzheimer's disease: the study of dementia in Swedish twins. , 1997, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[2]  E. Mori,et al.  Premorbid brain size as a determinant of reserve capacity against intellectual decline in Alzheimer's disease. , 1997, The American journal of psychiatry.

[3]  J. Breitner,et al.  Recent Advances in the Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia with an Emphasis on Gene‐Environment Interactions , 1996, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[4]  E B Larson,et al.  Head Circumference as a Measure of Cognitive Reserve , 1996, British Journal of Psychiatry.

[5]  A. Toga,et al.  Three-Dimensional Statistical Analysis of Sulcal Variability in the Human Brain , 1996, The Journal of Neuroscience.

[6]  J. Kaprio,et al.  Alzheimer's disease in Finnish twins , 1996, The Lancet.

[7]  H. Chui,et al.  Multicenter clinicopathological correlation in dementia. , 1995, The American journal of psychiatry.

[8]  N Pedersen,et al.  An Empirical Test of Telephone Screening to Identify Potential Dementia Cases , 1995, International Psychogeriatrics.

[9]  E M Wijsman,et al.  A familial Alzheimer's disease locus on chromosome 1 , 1995, Science.

[10]  M. Folstein,et al.  Alzheimer's disease in the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council Registry of Aging Twin Veterans. III. Detection of cases, longitudinal results, and observations on twin concordance. , 1995, Archives of neurology.

[11]  D. Pollen,et al.  Cloning of a gene bearing missense mutations in early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease , 1995, Nature.

[12]  J. O'brien.  Is hippocampal atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging a marker for Alzheimer's disease? , 1995 .

[13]  M. Viitanen,et al.  Apolipoprotein &epsis;4 Allele in Swedish Twins and Siblings with Alzheimer Disease , 1995, Alzheimer disease and associated disorders.

[14]  L A Hansen,et al.  Clinical-neuropathological correlations in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. , 1994, Archives of neurology.

[15]  A. L. Bergem.  Heredity in dementia of the Alzheimer type , 1994, Clinical genetics.

[16]  A. Smith,et al.  Rapidly progressing atrophy of medial temporal lobe in Alzheimer's disease , 1994, The Lancet.

[17]  Bruce L. Miller,et al.  White matter hyperintensities in healthy older adults: A longitudinal study , 1994 .

[18]  M. Albert,et al.  Temporal lobe regions on magnetic resonance imaging identify patients with early Alzheimer's disease. , 1993, Archives of neurology.

[19]  J. Haines,et al.  Gene dose of apolipoprotein E type 4 allele and the risk of Alzheimer's disease in late onset families. , 1993, Science.

[20]  G. Small,et al.  Clinical, neuroimaging, and environmental risk differences in monozygotic female twins appearing discordant for dementia of the Alzheimer type. , 1993, Archives of neurology.

[21]  A. Convit,et al.  Measurement of medial temporal lobe atrophy in diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease , 1993, The Lancet.

[22]  J. Monfort.  A population-based study of dementia in 85-year-olds. , 1993, The New England journal of medicine.

[23]  J. Haxby,et al.  Longitudinal changes in lateral ventricular volume in Datients with dementia of the Alzheimer type , 1992, Neurology.

[24]  C. Jack,et al.  MR‐based hippocampal volumetry in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease , 1992, Neurology.

[25]  B. Miller,et al.  A quantitative MRI study of vascular dementia , 1992, Neurology.

[26]  M. Pericak-Vance,et al.  Segregation of a missense mutation in the amyloid precursor protein gene with familial Alzheimer's disease , 1991, Nature.

[27]  O Nalcioglu,et al.  Quantification of magnetic resonance scans for hippocampal and parahippocampal atrophy in Alzheimer's disease , 1991, Neurology.

[28]  G. Mcclearn,et al.  The Swedish Adoption Twin Study of Aging: an update. , 1991, Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae.

[29]  J. Morris,et al.  The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). Part I. Clinical and neuropsychological assesment of Alzheimer's disease , 1989, Neurology.

[30]  S. M. de la Monte.  Quantitation of cerebral atrophy in preclinical and end‐stage alzheimer's disease , 1989, Annals of neurology.

[31]  R. Mohs,et al.  Consortium to establish a registry for Alzheimer's disease (CERAD) clinical and neuropsychological assessment of Alzheimer's disease. , 2002, Psychopharmacology bulletin.

[32]  S. Folstein,et al.  "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. , 1975, Journal of psychiatric research.