Regional metabolic changes in the hippocampus and posterior cingulate area detected with 3-Tesla magnetic resonance spectroscopy in patients with mild cognitive impairment and alzheimer disease

Abstract

The study reveals that the elevation of mI/NAA ratio in the hippocampus is more significant than that in the posterior cingulate area, which corresponds to the pathologic procession of AD. The ratios of mI/NAA in the hippocampus and in the posterior cingulate area together provide valuable discrimination among the three groups (AD, MCI, and controls). There is a significant correlation between mI/NAA ratio and cognitive decline.