Postmortem MRI and Histopathology of White Matter Changes in Alzheimer Brains
- 1 May 2002
- journal article
- research article
- Published by S. Karger AG in Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders
- Vol. 13 (4) , 205-212
- https://doi.org/10.1159/000057698
Abstract
To evaluate whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of white matter changes in Alzheimer’s disease either under- or overestimates the findings on neuropathology. Postmortem MRI and neuropathological examination were performed on 6 brains from elderly individuals with a postmortem diagnosis of AD. Using a specially designed brain slicer, the brains were cut corresponding to the MRI images, and stained by Luxol Fast Blue. Quantitative analysis of white matter changes on MRI and neuropathology was performed using stereological principles. Measures from MRI and pathology were highly correlated (r2 = 0.71). However, pathology showed significantly more extensive changes than did MRI in all cases, with a mean of 54% larger areas. The lesions not identified with MRI represented, however, only minor changes with lower intensity of myelin staining and with an accentuation of the distance between fibres but with preserved axonal network and glial cell density.Keywords
This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit:
- Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Alzheimer’s DiseaseDementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 1999
- Postmortem MRI of the brain with neuropathological correlationNeuroradiology, 1995
- Pre- and post-mortem MR imaging of unsuspected multiple sclerosis in a patient with Alzheimer's diseaseJournal of the Neurological Sciences, 1993
- White matter lesion in the elderlyJournal of the Neurological Sciences, 1992
- Amyloid beta protein deposition in brains from elderly subjects with leukoaraiosisJournal of the Neurological Sciences, 1991
- Formalin fixed brains are useful for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studyJournal of the Neurological Sciences, 1987