Diffusion Tensor Weighted MRI in Alzheimer's Disease Modifying Treatment Effects of Galantamine (Reminyl®)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive subcortical and cortical neuronal degeneration. AD patients differ in the time course of neuronal degeneration and accompanying cognitive decline. With recent advances in MR imaging, including optimized data acquisition and processing techniques, tools that are especially well suited for tracking long-term pathological changes as well as drug treatment effects have become available. In addition to structural imaging, new acquisition and analysis techniques have been developed to determine integrity of subcortical fiber tracts in vivo. In the present project we propose to determine predictors of disease progression and treatment response and investigate potential treatment effects on structural disease progression, covering the continuum from axonal degeneration to cortical neuronal loss taking advantage of recent advances in MRI acquisition and analysis techniques.