Characteristics Scanning of Brain Structure and Function Changes in Patients with Different Degrees of Alzheimer's Disease.

Through the case control study on structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) scanning, MR spectrum (MRS), and neuropsychological assessment of the intracranial structures of Alzheimer's disease (AD), patients of different degrees (early, middle, and late), the early clinical features, imaging features, and neuropsychological characteristics of patients with AD were analyzed to provide help for the early diagnosis of AD. The data of MR scanning of the brain, bilateral MRS scan of the hippocampus, thyroid function and other laboratory indicators, and neuropsychological evaluation analysis were collected in 50 patients who had been diagnosed with AD. According to CDR, 50 patients were divided into the early AD group and the middle and advanced AD group, with 23 patients in the early AD group and 27 patients in the middle and advanced AD group. Retrospective study was conducted to analyze the general conditions, medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) grading, and the metabolic changes of bilateral MRS in the hippocampus of patients in both groups, so did the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), activities of daily living scale (ADL), and other neuropsychological assessment results. Moreover, the comparative analysis was carried out. The results showed that the MTA grade of medial temporal atrophy increased with the progressive severity of the disease in both groups. A statistical test was conducted on the reduction of hippocampal volume in the two groups, and the P was less than 0.05. Therefore, the MTA scale was of great value in the diagnosis and staging of early AD. However, when the diagnosis of early AD was treated by MTA visual evaluation alone, there was 23.8% false negative diagnosis. If the judgment of early AD only depended on the metabolic changes of hippocampus MRS or MR scanning of intracranial structures, it was likely to cause false negative diagnosis. Therefore, the combination of MRS analysis and MR scanning of intracranial structures was favorable for the early diagnosis and treatment of AD. Combined with neuropsychological assessment, AD patients were staged more effectively, which greatly improved the accuracy of AD diagnosis in the early stage.

1. Introduction

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system. The main clinical manifestations are progressive cognitive decline, which is one of the most common causes of senile dementia, and the pathogenesis is still unclear [1]. According to the 2016 World Report on Alzheimer's Disease, the number of AD patients worldwide had reached 47 million by 2015. It is estimated that this number will double every 20 years, rising to 120 million by 2050. By 2018, the global cost of the disease could rise to trillions of dollars [2]. According to statistics, the prevalence of dementia in China has increased gradually over time in recent years, and the expenditure of dementia in China accounts for 20% of the expenditure of dementia in the world. The prevalence rate of AD over 65 years old is about 3.21% [3]. AD has become a serious problem endangering the current social health, bringing heavy economic pressure and serious mental pressure to the affected families.

The onset of AD is usually subtle, slow, and persistent, characterized by cognitive decline and neurological changes. Clinically, it is mainly characterized by changes in personality and behavior, memory disorders, aphasia, apraxia, agnosia, executive dysfunction, decreased visual and spatial discrimination, and another comprehensive dementia [4]. At present, there is no ideal treatment method, so early detection and early treatment of AD is important. One of the ways to realize the effective identification of AD patients is mastering the early clinical symptoms of AD and the detailed information of the patient's disease development. In addition, another effective diagnostic method is imaging examination. In recent years, multimode magnetic resonance examination has gradually developed, which can quickly identify the image features of AD, such as brain atrophy and local changes in brain metabolites [5], providing a new method and path for the identification of early AD patients.

Magnetic resonance imaging of intracranial structures is a more informative and radiation-free imaging technique than brain CT without radiation damage and has important value in identifying patients with early AD [6]. One of the most common SRI techniques is the selection of region of interest (ROI). The main ROI in identifying patients with early AD is the medial temporal lobe. MTA grading scale (medial temporal lobe atrophy rating scale) is often utilized in clinical practice to evaluate and analyze AD patients and the degree of medial temporal lobe reduction, which is mainly classified into five levels [7]. The classification is based on the reduction of hippocampal volume, the widening of choroidal fissure, and the enlargement of temporal horn. In addition, neuropsychological assessment should be combined, such as mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and activities of daily living scale (ADL), which are helpful to identify patients with early AD [8]. One of the most commonly utilized neuropsychological rating scales is the MMSE. ADL is mainly utilized to assess the daily living ability of patients, and there is no requirement on the level of education, which is suitable for patients with low education level and rural environment [9].

International studies indicated that the diagnosis and active intervention of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the early stage of AD can effectively delay the course and reduce the incidence of AD [10]. Therefore, according to the research hotspots of AD in recent years and the results of neuropsychological assessment and magnetic resonance imaging analysis of AD patients in the two groups, a case control study was implemented in this study. The MRI characteristics and neuropsychological assessment of patients with AD in the early stage were analyzed. It was hoped that rapid and effective staging of AD patients can be carried out to improve the accuracy of early diagnosis of AD.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Data Source

In this case control study, 50 patients with AD confirmed in our hospital were selected. The data of MR scanning of the brain, bilateral MRS scan of the hippocampus, thyroid function and other laboratory indicators, and neuropsychological evaluation analysis were collected in 50 patients who had been diagnosed with AD. According to CDR, 50 patients were divided into two groups, namely, the early AD group and the middle and advanced AD group. Among them, there were 23 patients in the early stage and 27 patients in the advanced stage, which were analyzed retrospectively. Inclusion criteria were as follows:

Inclusion criteria for the early AD group: patients in this group should meet the core clinical criteria for mild cognitive impairment caused by AD as set out in the NIA-AA diagnostic criteria in 2011, or both met the core clinical diagnostic criteria for all-cause dementia and the core clinical diagnostic criteria for probable or probable AD dementia, and the clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) score was no more than 1.

Inclusion criteria for the middle and advanced AD group: patients in this group should not only meet the core clinical diagnostic criteria for all-cause dementia as set out in 2011 NIA-AA diagnostic criteria but also the core clinical diagnostic criteria for probable or probable AD dementia. The clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR) score no less than 2 is required.

Exclusion criteria: patients with cognitive dysfunction caused by the factor; patients with cognitive dysfunction due to other causes; and patients with incomplete case data.

2.2. MRI and MRS Grading and Classification Methods

Craniocerebral MRI was performed on the coronal hippocampus of T1WI, and the MTA grading scale was utilized to record the MTA grading. When there was a change in hippocampal volume, the MTA score was recorded as level 3–4. When there was a moderate reduction in hippocampal volume (a decrease in height), the MTA score was recorded as a level 3. Hippocampal volume was severely reduced, and it was level 4 when there was obvious atrophy. Patients with MTA score of 0–2 were rated as normal hippocampal volume, and those with MTA score of 3–4 were prioritized to record the side with severe reduction in hippocampal volume [11]. The heavier side was graded to record the degree of shrinkage of the hippocampal volume and recorded as abnormal hippocampal volume.

2.3. Evaluation Method of Neuropsychological Scale Test

The MMSE evaluation rules are differentiated according to different educational levels. The domestic scoring rules: illiteracy, with scores ≤19 as cognitive dysfunction; at the elementary level, scores of 22 or less indicate cognitive abnormalities; a score of less than or equal to 26 in middle school or higher is considered cognitive disorder. The scores were 21–26, 10–20, and <10 for mild, moderate, and severe, respectively [12]. The ADL scale utilized in this study mainly has 20 items, each item is graded into 4 levels according to the completion of the tested patients, which is counted as 1–4 points, with a total score of 20–80 points. Patients over 75 years of age with a score of 25 or more indicate dementia, and those under 75 with a score of 23 or more indicate dementia [13]. The higher the score, the worse the self-care ability. Through the communication with the patients and their relatives, information required by the CDR scale was collected, so as to evaluate the dementia degree of the patients. The stages of normal and AD patients were distinguished by five grades of level 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 [14].

2.4. Statistical Methods

SPSS 23.0 was employed to analyze the collected patient data. The collected data were expressed in the format of mean ± standard deviation ( ± s). The two groups of data were compared with each other through independent sample t-test. The data distribution of patients in the two groups was compared by the chi-square test (χ2 test) according to the four tables' data or row ∗ list data. When P < 0.05, it was considered that there was remarkable difference between the two groups of data. Moreover, the sensitivity and false negative rate of different neuropsychological scale tests, MMSE scores of different educational levels, hippocampal shrinkage, imaging examination, and MRS metabolism of patients with early AD were analyzed between the two groups.

3. Results

3.1. Age and Number of Years of Onset

In this study, data were collected from 50 patients, including the early AD group and the middle and advanced AD group. There were 23 patients in the early stage and 27 in the advanced stage. The age distribution of the two groups was as follows. The age of early AD group was 47∼82 years old, with an average age of 64.35 ± 8.53 years old. The age of middle and advanced AD group ranged from 55 to 81 years old, with an average age of 64.67 ± 8.23 years old. An independent sample was utilized for group t-test, t = 0.89, P=0.378 > 0.05, and there was no remarkable difference in age distribution between the two groups.

Taking 60 years old as the boundary, both groups were mainly elderly patients. The chi-square test of the data in four tables was conducted for the distribution of patients in the two groups according to age, χ2 = 0.064, P=0.755 > 0.05. There was no remarkable difference between the two groups according to age distribution. Figure 1 showed the details.

Figure 1

Age distribution of patients with early AD and middle and advanced AD.

3.2. Gender

Among the 49 patients in this study, 19 were male patients (38%) and 31 were female patients (62%). The male to female ratio was approximately 1 : 2. Among them, there were 11 males in the early AD group, accounting for 52.3%, 10 females, accounting for 47.6%. There were 8 males in the middle and advanced AD group, accounting for 27.5%, and 21 females, accounting for 72.4%. The chi-square test of the data in the four tables was performed on the gender distribution of the two groups of data, χ2 = 0.68, P=0.41 > 0.05, and there was no remarkable difference between the two groups of data according to the gender distribution. The specific situation was shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Gender distribution of patients with early AD and middle and advanced AD.

3.3. Education Level

The educational level data of the two groups of patients were as follows. Among the patients in the early AD group, 4 patients were illiterate, accounting for 16.6%, 7 patients with primary school education, accounting for 29.2%, and those with middle school and above were 13 cases, accounting for 54.2%. Among the patients in the middle and advanced AD group, 8 patients were illiterate, accounting for 30.7%, 8 patients were primary school education, accounting for 30.7%, and 10 patients were middle school or above, accounting for 38.5%. The chi-square test was performed on the two groups of data, χ2 = 4.10, P=0.13 > 0.05. There was no remarkable difference in the data distribution of the two groups of cultural level. The statistical results are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3

Distribution of education level of early AD and middle and advanced AD patients.

3.4. Brain Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI) and Brain Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS)

T1WI coronal MRI scan of the brain was collected from patients in both groups, and the grading of MTA was recorded according to the MTA rating scale. Among the 23 patients in the early AD group, a total of 21 patients were graded according to the grading scale, accounting for 95.5%, and the grades were mainly 0, 1, and 2. Of the 27 patients in the middle and advanced AD group, a total of 24 patients were graded, accounting for 88.9%, mainly with grades 2, 3, and 4. The MTA grade of patients in both groups showed a trend of gradually increasing with the aggravation of the disease.

When the MTA score was at level 3–4, the hippocampus volume in the brain structure of the patient changed. When the hippocampus volume was moderately atrophy (decreased in height), it was recorded as level 3, and when the hippocampus volume in the patient's brain was severely atrophy, it was recorded as level 4. Patients with an MTA score of 0–2 were assessed as normal hippocampal volume. Among those with grades 3–4, priority was given to recording the more severe side of the hippocampus volume reduction. The heavier side was graded, the degree of hippocampal volume atrophy was recorded, and it was recorded as an abnormal hippocampus volume. According to the data in Figure 4, the specific distribution of hippocampal volume changed in the two groups of patients. There were only 2 cases of hippocampal atrophy in the early AD group, accounting for 8%, and 22 cases of hippocampal volume without abnormality, accounting for 92%. In the middle and advanced AD group, there were 16 cases of abnormal hippocampal atrophy, accounting for 62%, and 10 cases without abnormal hippocampal atrophy, accounting for 38%.

Figure 4

Hippocampal atrophies in early AD and middle and advanced AD patients.

The metabolic distribution of MRS in the bilateral hippocampus of the two groups of patients is shown in Table 1. Among them, 28.5% of the early AD group had no abnormal metabolism in MRS, and 16 cases of abnormal metabolism occurred, accounting for 72.7%. There were 6 cases with no abnormal MRS metabolism in the middle and advanced AD group, accounting for only 7.4%. Most of the patients with early AD had abnormal changes in hippocampus metabolism, while there were few patients with normal hippocampal metabolism in the middle and advanced AD patients.

Table 1

Metabolic distribution of bilateral hippocampal MRS in patients with early AD and middle and advanced AD.

Group	Early AD (proportion)	Middle and advanced AD (proportion)	Total
Normal	7 (30.4%)	4 (14.8%)	11
Unilateral abnormality	4 (17.4%)	6 (22.2%)	10
Bilateral abnormality	12 (52.2%)	17 (63.0%)	29
Total	23	27	50

The distribution of bilateral hippocampal MRS metabolism with MTA grades in the two groups is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5

Distribution of MRS in patients with early AD and middle and advanced AD with different MTA grades.

MRI was utilized to detect early AD patients, the sensitivity was 78.9%, and the false negative diagnosis rate was 21.1%. The sensitivity of the MRS was 73.4%, and the false negative diagnosis rate was 26.6%. Therefore, when we tried to diagnose early AD patients by combining two imaging detection methods, it was found that the sensitivity increased notably, reaching 96.5%, and the false negative diagnosis rate was notably reduced, reaching 3.5%. Figure 6 shows the details.

Figure 6

The sensitivity and missed diagnosis rate of imaging examination in early AD patients (%).

3.5. Neuropsychological Test Results

The scores of MMSE, and ADL scales of the two groups of patients were expressed in the format of mean ± standard deviation ( ± s), and the independent sample group t-test was utilized. MMSE score t = 10.69, ADL score t = 7.95, all P < 0.001. There was a remarkable difference between the two groups of data. MMSE scores of the early AD group were lower compared with the middle and advanced AD group, and the ADL scores were lower. The sensitivity and false negative diagnosis rate of early diagnosis of AD using multiple neuropsychological tests alone or in combination are shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7

Sensitivity and missed diagnosis rate of neuropsychological test in early AD patients (%).

MMSE test was performed separately, the sensitivity was 76.2%, and the missed diagnosis rate was 23.8%. ADL test was performed, the sensitivity was 23.8%, and the missed diagnosis rate was 76.2%. The sensitivity of the combined three neuropsychological tests was higher than that of the single test, which was 85.3%, and the missed diagnosis rate was lower, which was 14.7%.

The MMSE scores of the two groups of patients were recorded according to different education levels, and the results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s). The MMSE scores of the two groups of patients had a rising trend with the increase of education level.

The MMSE, and ADL scores of the two groups of patients were recorded according to the brain magnetic resonance MTA classification, and the results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s). The scores of MMSE in the early AD group had a downward trend with the increase of MTA grade, and the ADL score had a rising trend with the increase of MTA grade. There was no obvious change trend in the middle and advanced AD patients.

The comparison of the sensitivity and missed diagnosis rate of imaging examination and neuropsychological test for early diagnosis of AD is shown in Figure 8. The imaging examination of MRI + MRS alone showed a sensitivity of 96.6% and a missed diagnosis rate of 3.4%. The sensitivity of combined multiple neuropsychological tests was 87.5%, and the missed diagnosis rate was 12.5%. The two methods were combined, the sensitivity for early AD diagnosis was 100%, and there was no missed diagnosis.

Figure 8

Sensitivity and missed diagnosis rate of imaging examinations and neuropsychological tests in early AD patients (%).

4. Discussion

AD is a common central nervous degenerative disease that occurs in the elderly, which can cause irreversible damage to the brain structure and the metabolism of the hippocampus, resulting in cognitive impairment in the elderly. The survival time of patients with this disease is generally only 5–10 years [15]. During the illness, there will be physical pain and serious mental illness, which have a huge impact on the economy and daily life of the affected family. According to domestic research data, there are currently 6–8 million AD patients in China, and behind this number is the suffering of 6–8 million families. Therefore, early diagnosis and early intervention for AD are imminent.

As the international community has paid extensive attention to AD in recent years, research and analysis on AD have gradually increased, and a clear understanding of the staging of AD has gradually been gained. The first stage of AD is about 1–3 years. It is mainly manifested as obstacles to learning new knowledge and impaired long-term recall ability. Visual space skills are impaired. Language barriers are manifested as poor ability to list a class of nouns and unable to name them. Personality disorder is manifested as emotional indifference [16]. Occasionally, there is irritability or sadness. The second stage of illness is 2–10 years, with impairments in both distance and short memory, as well as obstacles such as spatial disorientation, miscalculation, and intended motor apraxia. The third stage of illness is 8–12 years. During which, AD patients have experienced severe mental decline, almost complete loss of motor function, and incontinence.

With the increasing popularity of AD early diagnosis research in recent years, multimode magnetic resonance has become a new research direction, providing vital imaging data in the judgment of the early stage of AD. Combined with clinical practice experience and recent hotspots of multimode MRI research, a retrospective study was conducted on the basic demographic data, imaging, and neuropsychological test data of the two groups of AD patients in the early and middle and advanced stages. Among them, MR scanning imaging of intracranial structures was simple to use, which can provide information than brain CT and has no radiation damage. It has important value in distinguishing early AD patients. However, the disadvantage is that the detection sensitivity was not ideal, and there was a certain false negative diagnosis rate. Cranial MRI can observe the volume changes of the medial temporal lobe (including the hippocampus) in the early AD dementia stage, that is, the MCI stage. Monitoring the changes in the volume of the internal lobes in MCI patients through MRI can predict the progression of MCI to AD to a certain extent. Based on the data obtained, it was recommended that AI big data algorithms or advanced medial temporal lobe or hippocampal volume change testing methods should be appropriately introduced in the future clinical work of AD diagnosis to reduce the false negative diagnosis of early AD.

In the early diagnosis of AD, neuropsychological scale test evaluation is also extremely important. The applied neuropsychological scale test evaluation includes MMSE, ADL, and CDR. The MMSE scale test is relatively easy, has a wide range of adoptions, and is convenient in clinical use, but it also has certain shortcomings. For example, when AD and MCI patients are distinguished, the MMSE scale test lacks sensitivity and specificity. According to the obtained results, MMSE was also easily affected by the education level. Patients with relatively high education level may have false negatives, and those with relatively low education level may have false positives.

5. Conclusion

The statistical analysis was carried out based on the general data, imaging examinations, and neuropsychological tests collected from 49 patients. Among them, there were 13 females in the early AD group, accounting for 59.1%, and 19 women in the middle and advanced AD group, accounting for 70.4%. It was found that both groups of patients were more women than men. According to the analysis of the results of MRS, 6 cases of early AD group had no abnormal MRS metabolism, and 72.7% had abnormal metabolism. There were 2 cases with no abnormal metabolism of MRS in the middle and advanced AD group, and only 7.4% had normal metabolism. However, only a small number of hippocampal metabolisms in patients with middle and advanced AD was normal, the sensitivity of MRI in early AD patients was 77.3%, and the missed diagnosis rate was 22.7%. The sensitivity of MRS examination was 72.7%, and the missed diagnosis rate was 27.3%. The two imaging methods were combined for early diagnosis of AD, it was found that the sensitivity was notably improved to 95.5%, and the missed diagnosis rate was notably reduced to 4.5%. In the early diagnosis of AD, only relying on MRI or MRS metabolism alone may lead to missed diagnosis. Therefore, the combination of brain MRI and MRS can relatively better diagnose early AD. In addition, the early AD group was compared with the middle and advanced AD group. It was revealed that the sensitivity after three neuropsychological tests combined was higher than that of the single test, which was 86.4%, and the missed diagnosis rate was notably lower, which was 13.6%. It meant that the MMCE and ADL tests were of great significance in distinguishing early and middle and advanced AD. The imaging examination of MRI + MRS alone had a sensitivity of 95.5% and a missed diagnosis rate of 4.5%. The sensitivity of combined multiple neuropsychological tests was 86.4%, and the missed diagnosis rate was 13.6%. After the two methods were combined, the sensitivity for early AD diagnosis was 100%, and there was no missed diagnosis.

In conclusion, imaging examination combined with a variety of neuropsychological tests can accurately distinguish between early and middle and advanced AD patients and improve the accuracy of early AD diagnosis.