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Perfusion fMRI detects deficits in regional CBF during memory-encoding tasks in MCI subjects

From the Departments of Biophysics (G.X., Y.X., G.W., D.W., S.-J.L.) and Neurology (P.G.A., J.J.), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Shi-Jiang Li, Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226 sjli{at}mcw.edu

Objective: To determine how memory-encoding tasks elicit functional perfusion change in subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

Methods: Twelve subjects with aMCI and 14 age-matched cognitively normal (CN) subjects were recruited for this study. Arterial spin-labeling perfusion MRI (ASL-MRI) was employed to measure regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) during both control and encoding task conditions.

Results: Experimental results demonstrated that hypoperfusion occurred in the right precuneus and cuneus in the aMCI group, and not the CN group, during the control state. During the memory-task performance, the difference in these regional hypoperfusion areas extended to the posterior cingulate. These regional perfusion rates correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test scores. In addition, a CBF percentage increase (22.7%) occurred in the right parahippocampus region during the memory-encoding task performance in the CN group, with approximately no change in the aMCI group.

Conclusion: Subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment had significant regional cerebral hypoperfusion and lacked the dynamic capability to modulate their regional cerebral blood flow responses to the challenge of the functional tasks.

Abbreviations: AD = Alzheimer disease; aMCI = amnestic mild cognitive impairment; ASL-MRI = arterial spin-labeling perfusion MRI; BOLD = blood oxygenation level-dependent; CBF = cerebral blood flow; CDR = Clinical Dementia Rating; CERAD = Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease; CN = cognitively normal; GDS = Geriatric Depression Scale; MMSE = Mini-Mental State Examination; NART-R = National Adult Reading Test; PCC = right precuneus, cuneus, and posterior cingulate; PHPG = parahippocampal gyrus; RAVLT = Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test; ROIs = regions of interest; TI = inversion time; WRAT3 = Wide Range Achievement Test.

Editorial, see page 1645

e-Pub ahead of print on September 26, 2007, at www.neurology.org.

Supported by NIH grant AG20279, General Clinical Research Center RR00058, the DANA Foundation, and Extendicare Foundation.

Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Received August 29, 2006. Accepted in final form April 6, 2007.

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