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Cortical Gray Matter Thickness to Pons Ratio: A Novel Diagnostic Index for Alzheimer’s Disease

Received: 4 October 2023    Accepted: 20 October 2023    Published: 8 January 2024
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Abstract

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that is being diagnosed more and more commonly in neurology clinics. Physicians are familiar to see brain atrophy definition in the MRI reports of these patients. To aid physicians in the diagnosis, we aimed to find a novel radiological diagnostic index for Alzheimer’s disease by making MRI-based specific measurements. Materials and Methods: Fifty-three patients diagnosed with typical Alzheimer’s disease and fifty-five healthy control cases were enrolled in our study. Demographic data containing age, gender, and medical history were recorded. Non-contrast 1.5T brain magnetic resonance images of all participants were collected. Measurements of the prefrontal and precentral sulcus cortical gray matter thickness, as well as the area of the pons, were done by a radiologist. The cortical thickness to the pontine area ratio was calculated and compared between the two groups. Finally, a ROC curve analysis was done to find a certain index value. Results: In the patient group, prefrontal and precentral gray matter thicknesses were significantly lower than in the control group. Also, the ROC curve analysis revealed a crucial ratio of prefrontal gray matter thickness to the pontine area. This novel radiological index ratio distinguished Alzheimer's disease atrophy from healthy variances with a sensitivity of 21% and a specificity of 97%. Conclusion: The radiological ratios that we found in our study can not be caught by the human eye. Calculating and reporting our suggested index ratio in brain MRI reports may provide additional information for physicians diagnosing Alzheimer's disease.

Published in International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11
Page(s) 1-7
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Alzheimer’s Disease, Alzheimer Dementia, Brain Imaging, Dementia, Novel Diagnostic Index, Prefrontal Cortex to Pons Ratio

References
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  • APA Style

    Arslan, G. (2024). Cortical Gray Matter Thickness to Pons Ratio: A Novel Diagnostic Index for Alzheimer’s Disease. International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 9(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11

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    ACS Style

    Arslan, G. Cortical Gray Matter Thickness to Pons Ratio: A Novel Diagnostic Index for Alzheimer’s Disease. Int. J. Psychol. Brain Sci. 2024, 9(1), 1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11

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    AMA Style

    Arslan G. Cortical Gray Matter Thickness to Pons Ratio: A Novel Diagnostic Index for Alzheimer’s Disease. Int J Psychol Brain Sci. 2024;9(1):1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11,
      author = {Guven Arslan},
      title = {Cortical Gray Matter Thickness to Pons Ratio: A Novel Diagnostic Index for Alzheimer’s Disease},
      journal = {International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences},
      volume = {9},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-7},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijpbs.20240901.11},
      abstract = {Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that is being diagnosed more and more commonly in neurology clinics. Physicians are familiar to see brain atrophy definition in the MRI reports of these patients. To aid physicians in the diagnosis, we aimed to find a novel radiological diagnostic index for Alzheimer’s disease by making MRI-based specific measurements. Materials and Methods: Fifty-three patients diagnosed with typical Alzheimer’s disease and fifty-five healthy control cases were enrolled in our study. Demographic data containing age, gender, and medical history were recorded. Non-contrast 1.5T brain magnetic resonance images of all participants were collected. Measurements of the prefrontal and precentral sulcus cortical gray matter thickness, as well as the area of the pons, were done by a radiologist. The cortical thickness to the pontine area ratio was calculated and compared between the two groups. Finally, a ROC curve analysis was done to find a certain index value. Results: In the patient group, prefrontal and precentral gray matter thicknesses were significantly lower than in the control group. Also, the ROC curve analysis revealed a crucial ratio of prefrontal gray matter thickness to the pontine area. This novel radiological index ratio distinguished Alzheimer's disease atrophy from healthy variances with a sensitivity of 21% and a specificity of 97%. Conclusion: The radiological ratios that we found in our study can not be caught by the human eye. Calculating and reporting our suggested index ratio in brain MRI reports may provide additional information for physicians diagnosing Alzheimer's disease.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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    T1  - Cortical Gray Matter Thickness to Pons Ratio: A Novel Diagnostic Index for Alzheimer’s Disease
    AU  - Guven Arslan
    Y1  - 2024/01/08
    PY  - 2024
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11
    T2  - International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences
    JF  - International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences
    JO  - International Journal of Psychological and Brain Sciences
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    EP  - 7
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-1573
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijpbs.20240901.11
    AB  - Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that is being diagnosed more and more commonly in neurology clinics. Physicians are familiar to see brain atrophy definition in the MRI reports of these patients. To aid physicians in the diagnosis, we aimed to find a novel radiological diagnostic index for Alzheimer’s disease by making MRI-based specific measurements. Materials and Methods: Fifty-three patients diagnosed with typical Alzheimer’s disease and fifty-five healthy control cases were enrolled in our study. Demographic data containing age, gender, and medical history were recorded. Non-contrast 1.5T brain magnetic resonance images of all participants were collected. Measurements of the prefrontal and precentral sulcus cortical gray matter thickness, as well as the area of the pons, were done by a radiologist. The cortical thickness to the pontine area ratio was calculated and compared between the two groups. Finally, a ROC curve analysis was done to find a certain index value. Results: In the patient group, prefrontal and precentral gray matter thicknesses were significantly lower than in the control group. Also, the ROC curve analysis revealed a crucial ratio of prefrontal gray matter thickness to the pontine area. This novel radiological index ratio distinguished Alzheimer's disease atrophy from healthy variances with a sensitivity of 21% and a specificity of 97%. Conclusion: The radiological ratios that we found in our study can not be caught by the human eye. Calculating and reporting our suggested index ratio in brain MRI reports may provide additional information for physicians diagnosing Alzheimer's disease.
    
    VL  - 9
    IS  - 1
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Author Information
  • Department of Neurology, Acibadem Kayseri Hospital Affiliated to Acibadem University and Acibadem Healthcare Institutions, Kayseri, Turkey

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