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Open Access 24-01-2024 | Frontotemporal Dementia | Original Communication

Longitudinal volumetric changes in amygdala subregions in frontotemporal dementia

Authors: Mengjie Huang, Ramon Landin-Romero, Sophie Matis, Marshall A. Dalton, Olivier Piguet

Published in: Journal of Neurology | Issue 5/2024

Abstract

Amygdala atrophy has been found in frontotemporal dementia (FTD), yet the specific changes of its subregions across different FTD phenotypes remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the volumetric alterations of the amygdala subregions in FTD phenotypes and how they evolve with disease progression. Patients clinically diagnosed with behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) (n = 20), semantic dementia (SD) (n = 20), primary nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) (n = 20), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (n = 20), and 20 matched healthy controls underwent whole brain structural MRI. The patient groups were followed up annually for up to 3.5 years. Amygdala nuclei were segmented using FreeSurfer, corrected by total intracranial volumes, and grouped into the basolateral, superficial, and centromedial subregions. Linear mixed effects models were applied to identify changes in amygdala subregional volumes over time. At baseline, bvFTD, SD, and AD displayed global amygdala volume reduction, whereas amygdala volume appeared to be preserved in PNFA. Asymmetrical amygdala atrophy (left > right) was most pronounced in SD. Longitudinally, SD and PNFA showed greater rates of annual decline in the right basolateral and superficial subregions compared to bvFTD and AD. The findings provide comprehensive insights into the differential impact of FTD pathology on amygdala subregions, revealing distinct atrophy patterns that evolve over disease progression. The characterization of amygdala subregional involvement in FTD and their potential role as biomarkers carry substantial clinical implications.

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Title: Longitudinal volumetric changes in amygdala subregions in frontotemporal dementia
Authors: Mengjie Huang
Ramon Landin-Romero
Sophie Matis
Marshall A. Dalton
Olivier Piguet
Publication date: 24-01-2024
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Frontotemporal Dementia
Frontotemporal Dementia
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's Disease
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published in: Journal of Neurology / Issue 5/2024
Print ISSN: 0340-5354
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1459
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-023-12172-5

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Longitudinal volumetric changes in amygdala subregions in frontotemporal dementia

Abstract

At a glance: The STEP trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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