Objective: To explore the gray matter loss of Alzheimer' s disease (AD) by voxel-based morphometry (VBM).
Methods: The cerebral gray matter (GM) concentrations of 3.0T magnetic resonance (MR) images from 12 patients of Alzheimer's disease and 10 normal control subjects were compared using optimized VBM. The characteristics of GM concentration, volume and location were analyzed by statistical parametric mapping (SPM2).
Results: There are broad areas of gray matter loss in AD. Bilateral affected structures were hippocampal cortex, amygdala, caudate nucleus, cingulate gyrus, lower temporal gyrus and somatomotor cortex. Right insula and right frontal cortex also involved. On the other hand, somatosensory cortex, cerebellum and occipital lobe were relatively intact.
Conclusion: Optimized VBM based on 3T MR showed more accurate and comprehensive analysis for the widespread gray matter loss of AD.