PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - B C Bowen
AU  - W W Barker
AU  - D A Loewenstein
AU  - J Sheldon
AU  - R Duara
TI  - MR signal abnormalities in memory disorder and dementia.
DP  - 1990 Mar 01
TA  - American Journal of Neuroradiology
PG  - 283--290
VI  - 11
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/11/2/283.short
4100  - http://www.ajnr.org/content/11/2/283.full
SO  - Am. J. Neuroradiol.1990 Mar 01; 11
AB  - MR imaging of the brain, performed in 86 normal subjects and 113 patients with objective memory disorder or dementia, demonstrated white- and gray-matter areas of high signal intensity on long TR images (short and long TE). Hyperintensities were analyzed with respect to size (on a scale of 0-3) and location: lesions were periventricular, subcortical, or cortical. The patients with memory disorder and dementia were categorized as having probable/possible Alzheimer disease, a combination of Alzheimer disease and multiinfarct cognitive disorder, or multiinfarct cognitive disorder alone on the basis of clinically determined Hachinski ischemic scores. Significant correlations were found between age and scores for periventricular lesions (r = .40, p less than .0005) and subcortical lesions (r = .39, p less than .0005) in normal subjects. Correlations were also found between the Hachinski ischemic score and scores for periventricular lesions (r = .21, p less than .01), subcortical lesions (r = .27, p less than .0002), and cortical lesions (r = .32, p less than .0005) in subjects with memory disorder/dementia. Comparing multiinfarct cognitive disorder, Alzheimer disease, and normal groups, the mean scores for periventricular lesions were 12.0 +/- 4.6, 7.6 +/- 4.8, and 3.4 +/- 2.6, while mean scores for subcortical lesions were 10.8 +/- 12.2, 4.1 +/- 6.4, and 0.8 +/- 1.2, respectively. Periventricular lesions were present in 99-100% of patients with Alzheimer disease and multiinfarct cognitive disorder. On the other hand, subcortical lesions, which were identified in 100% of patients with multiinfarct cognitive disorder, were present in only about half of the patients with Alzheimer disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)