Voxel-based morphometry for detection of grey matter changes in Alzheimer's disease

Objective To study the grey matter volume of brain magnetic resonance image in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods Three-dimensional brain magnetic resonance images were pretreated with DARTEL method in 11 AD patients and 11 healthy controls, and the difference of grey matter volume of the whole brain was assessed using voxel-based morphometry between both groups. Results The volume of bilateral hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, superior and middle temporal gyri, caudate and lenticular nuclei, insula, and cerebellar peduncle was significantly lower in AD than that in controls (FDR corrected, P0.05, voxels ?Y50). Conclusion Voxel-based morphometry can reveal the grey matter atrophy, which is helpful in early diagnosis and surveillance in AD patients.