Early axonal degeneration linked to clinical decline in Alzheimer's disease progression revealed with diffusion MRI.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUNDAxonal degeneration is believed to be an early hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study investigated the temporal trajectory of axonal loss and its association with cognitive and functional decline using a dMRI-derived axonal density index (ADI).METHODSLongitudinal dMRI, CSF, and PET data from the ADNI study were analyzed, including 117 subjects that were cognitively normal (CN) and 88 that were cognitively impaired (CI), consisting of 74 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 14 with AD. Linear mixed-effects models examined group differences and associations between baseline and longitudinal changes in ADI, CSF, or PET biomarkers and clinical outcomes. Results derived from larger CSF (n = 527) and PET (tau-PET: n = 870; amyloid-PET: n = 1,581) datasets are

SUBMITTER: Gong Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12867157 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature