J Korean Soc Radiol.  2024 Jan;85(1):184-196. 10.3348/jksr.2023.0065.

Diagnostic Performance Using a Combination of MRI Findings for Evaluating Cognitive Decline

• Byun JY
• Lee MK
• Jung SL

• KMID: 2552071
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/jksr.2023.0065

Abstract

Purpose
We investigated potentially promising imaging findings and their combinations in the evaluation of cognitive decline.
Materials and Methods
This retrospective study included 138 patients with subjective cognitive impairments, who underwent brain MRI. We classified the same group of patients into Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and non-AD groups, based on the neuropsychiatric evaluation. We analyzed imaging findings, including white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), using the Kruskal–Wallis test for group comparison, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for assessing the diagnostic performance of imaging findings.
Results
CMBs in the lobar or deep locations demonstrated higher prevalence in the patients with AD compared to those in the non-AD group. The presence of lobar CMBs combined with periventricular WMH (area under the ROC curve [AUC] = 0.702 [95% confidence interval: 0.599–0.806], p < 0.001) showed the highest performance in differentiation of AD from non-AD group.
Conclusion
Combinations of imaging findings can serve as useful additive diagnostic tools in the assessment of cognitive decline.

Keyword

Alzheimer Disease; Cognitive Decline; Magnetic Resonance Image; Cerebral Small Vessel Disease