Human corpus callosum in aging and alzheimer's disease: a magnetic resonance imaging study

The involvement of the corpus callosum in aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not clear. We measured cross sectional areas of the entire corpus callosum (CC), as well as the front 20% (genu), middle 60% (body), and posterior 20% (splenium) of the structure from a midsagittal MRI slice in AD patients (N = 20), and young (N = 16) and old (N = 13) control subjects. We found that mean CC area in young controls was 570 +/- 107 mm2. Aging did not significantly affect the mean area of the CC (562 +/- 98 mm2). A small, significant reduction was seen in AD in comparison to the young control group (480 +/- 133 mm2). However, AD is accompanied by a large and statistically significant reduction in the genu area in comparison to both young and old control subjects. A trend toward an age-dependent reduction in the body area is also accentuated in AD patients who showed significantly smaller callosal bodies than young controls. We conclude that selective changes within corpus callosum accompany aging and AD pathology.

[1]  Joel Gelernter,et al.  Corpus callosum dimensions measured by magnetic resonance imaging in bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia , 1989, Biological Psychiatry.

[2]  M. Folstein,et al.  Clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease , 1984, Neurology.

[3]  J. Haxby,et al.  Positron emission tomography in Alzheimer's disease , 1986, Neurology.

[4]  R H Huesman,et al.  Regional Cerebral Metabolic Alterations in Dementia of the Alzheimer Type: Positron Emission Tomography with [1818] Fluorodeoxyglucose , 1983, Journal of computer assisted tomography.

[5]  K. Krishnan,et al.  Aging of the human corpus callosum: magnetic resonance imaging in normal volunteers. , 1991, The Journal of neuropsychiatry and clinical neurosciences.

[6]  K. Yamashita,et al.  Development and aging of brain midline structures: assessment with MR imaging. , 1989, Radiology.

[7]  R. Holloway,,et al.  Sexual dimorphism in the human corpus callosum. , 1982, Science.

[8]  E. Ross,et al.  Topography of the Human Corpus Callosum , 1985, Journal of neuropathology and experimental neurology.

[9]  R. Sperry,et al.  Some effects of disconnecting the cerebral hemispheres. , 1982, Science.

[10]  H. Lubs,et al.  Neuroanatomic differences between dyslexic and normal readers on magnetic resonance imaging scans. , 1991, Archives of neurology.

[11]  M S Gazzaniga,et al.  No sex‐related differences in human corpus callosum based on magnetic resonance imagery , 1987, Annals of neurology.

[12]  B Horwitz,et al.  Critical analysis of the use of computer‐assisted transverse axial tomography to study human brain in aging and dementia of the Alzheimer type , 1990, Neurology.

[13]  A J Barkovich,et al.  Normal postnatal development of the corpus callosum as demonstrated by MR imaging. , 1988, AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology.

[14]  A. Brun,et al.  Regional pattern of degeneration in Alzheimer's disease: neuronal loss and histopathological grading , 1981, Histopathology.

[15]  S. F. Witelson.  The brain connection: the corpus callosum is larger in left-handers. , 1985, Science.

[16]  R. Mathew,et al.  A study of the septum pellucidum and corpus callosum in schizophrenia with MR imaging , 1985, Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica.

[17]  V. Haughton,et al.  Correlation of magnetic resonance imaging with neuropsychological testing in multiple sclerosis , 1989, Neurology.

[18]  J. Haxby,et al.  Quantitative computed tomography in dementia of the Alzheimer type , 1986, Neurology.

[19]  T. Powell,et al.  A quantitative study of the neurofibrillary tangles and the choline acetyltransferase activity in the cerebral cortex and the amygdala in Alzheimer's disease. , 1990, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry.

[20]  Christine Chiarello,et al.  A house divided? Cognitive functioning with callosal agenesis , 1980, Brain and Language.

[21]  Arne Brun,et al.  PATHOLOGICAL AND POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHIC CORRELATIONS IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE , 1985, The Lancet.

[22]  Michael S. Gazzaniga,et al.  Human callosal function , 1989, Neurology.

[23]  R. Duara,et al.  [Size of the corpus callosum in normal subjects and patients with Alzheimer's disease--magnetic resonance imaging study]. , 1989, Rinsho shinkeigaku = Clinical neurology.

[24]  R. DeTeresa,et al.  Some morphometric aspects of the brain in senile dementia of the alzheimer type , 1981, Annals of neurology.