The Study
Subcortical Shape Changes, Hippocampal Atrophy and Cortical Thinning in Future Alzheimer's Disease Patients
This study looked at brain scans of people with memory problems and noticed that those who later got Alzheimer's had different brain shapes than those who didn't. But it didn't make anyone get Alzheimer's—it just watched and recorded what happened. So we can say these brain changes are linked to Alzheimer's, but we don't know if they cause it.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists used MRI scans to look at tiny changes in the brain's shape and size in people with memory problems, to see who might get Alzheimer's soon.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this means doctors could potentially spot Alzheimer's years earlier than before, helping people get treatment sooner.
- 2People who later got Alzheimer's had shrinking in key brain areas (thalamus, striatum, hippocampus) 3 years before symptoms, with 95-98% accuracy in prediction.
- 3Those with stable memory problems had no such changes.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience
Year
2017
Authors
A. Kälin, Min Tae M. Park, M. Chakravarty, Jason P. Lerch, L. Michels, Clemens Schroeder, Sarah D. Broicher, S. Kollias, R. Nitsch, A. Gietl, P. Unschuld, C. Hock, Sandra E. Leh
Related Content
Claims (6)
MRI scans can detect shrinkage in the brain's cortex and hippocampus three years before a person shows any signs of Alzheimer's disease.
Some people with mild memory problems do not show the brain changes typical of Alzheimer's disease, and their cognitive function remains stable over time, indicating their condition may have a different cause than Alzheimer's.
In people with mild cognitive impairment who later develop Alzheimer's disease, thinning of brain tissue in specific medial temporal regions begins on the left side and spreads to both sides by the time Alzheimer's is diagnosed.
In people with mild cognitive impairment, specific regions of the hippocampus show measurable shrinkage before and at the time of progression to Alzheimer's disease, and this shrinkage is consistently observed in those who develop the disease.
Changes in the shape of the thalamus and striatum distinguish people with mild cognitive impairment who will develop Alzheimer's disease from healthy individuals with high accuracy, matching or surpassing the accuracy of left hippocampal volume measurements.
In people with mild cognitive impairment, specific shape changes in the thalamus and striatum—particularly inward contractions in dorsal and medial areas—occur before measurable shrinkage of brain volume and predict progression to Alzheimer's disease more accurately than hippocampal volume measurements.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.