Diffusion kurtosis imaging detects cortical microstructural alterations in amyloid-positive MCI patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by early accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and tau pathology which precede overt neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Detecting microstructural brain changes associated with Aβ deposition before the onset of atrophy is critical for early diagnosis and intervention.

Objective

This study investigates whether diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) can detect early microstructural alterations in cortical and subcortical gray matter (GM) associated with Aβ pathology in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods

Using DKI-derived metrics-mean kurtosis (MK) and mean diffusivity (MD) - we assessed cortical and subcortical microstructure in 67 participants (23 cognitively normal [CN], 44 MCI, including 29 A

SUBMITTER: Nielsen RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12815771 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature