P3‐209: Automated hippocampal subfields segmentation in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

Although a few automated hippocampal subfields segmentation methods were developed, the effects of diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) on the hippocampal subfields volumes in vivo MRI were not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate hippocampal subfields volumes difference between aMCI subjects and health elderly controls using automated hippocampal subfields segmentation technique. Forty-five subjects with aMCI and 49 group-matched healthy control subjects underwent 3T MRI scanning, and hippocampal subfields volumes were measured and compared between the groups. Additionally, we explored the correlation pattern between hippocampal subfields volumes and the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K) verbal delayed recall score in aMCI subjects. Subjects with aMCI exhibited significant hippocampal volume reductions in the presubiculum, subiculum and cornu ammonis (CA) 2–3 areas compared with healthy subjects (uncorrected, P<0.001). Significant correlations were observed between hippocampal deformations in the presubiculum/subiculum areas and CERAD-K verbal delayed recall scores (uncorrected, P< 0.001). This study is the first to elaborate the subfields volume differences of both hippocampi between the controls and aMCI patients with a relatively larger samples in aMCI. These structural changes in the hippocampal presubiculum, subiculum and CA2–3 areas might be at the core of underlying neurobiological mechanisms of hippocampal dysfunction and their relevance to verbal delayed recall impairments in aMCI.