Human Brain Mapping (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26798
Summary
In this study we investigated if subtle changes on MRI scans were associated with a risk gene for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The Apolipoprotein e4 (APOE4) gene, can be detected by analysing the texture of brain images. One of the most well established changes in people in the early stages of dementia is that they have lower brain volumes in some brain areas such as the hippocampus. This is typically detected using structural MRI scans. However, changes on the MRI scan might be very subtle in early stages of the disease and the analysis of brain volumes might not capture them.
Therefore this study analysed the texture of structural MRI scans in both the PREVENT and the ALFA studies. Data from 1585 participants from these studies was analysed (mean age of 56 years). There were no textural or volumetric differences found in this middle-aged cohort between carriers and non-carriers of the APOE4 gene. These results suggest that structural changes in people at higher risk of dementia based on the APOE4 gene cannot be detected at this stage with simple volume analysis or even with more advanced computational methods.