The integrated study of both the neural basis and clinical assessment underlying longitudinal changes of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer disease

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25461782
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: Nakaaki Shutaro 慶應義塾大学, 医学部, 准教授 (80315879)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): Mimura Masaru 慶応義塾大学, 医学部, 教授 (00190728) ; Torii Katsuyoshi 名古屋市立大学, 医学研究科, 研究員 (20551287) ; Miyata Jun 京都大学, 医学研究科, 講師 (90549099)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 認知症 / 精神症状 / テンソル画像 / FA値 / 縦断的変化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The neural substrate underlying the longitudinal changes of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) demetnia is unclear. In AD, we examined the longitudinal changes of white matter (WM) integrity using a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) during a 2-year period in AD patients who did or who did not develop delusions. Compared with the baseline, both groups in AD have shown that the fractional antisotropy (FA) values have significantly reduced in both splenium of the corpus callosum, and bilateral temporal lobes after two years. On contrast, the FA values in the genu of the corpus callosum, bilateral frontal lobes have significantly reduced in only one group with the AD patients who developed delusions during a 2-year period. Abnormalities in WM integrity involving several fibers associated with the frontal lobe may be crucial to the longitudinal changes of delusions in AD patients.

Free Research Field

精神神経科学