All participants underwent a cognitive assessment including the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and a neuroimaging session with a 3T Siemens Prisma scanner at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI). Methods: Study participants included 66 CN, 23 MCI, and 15 AD individuals.
Here we collected NM-MRI images from individuals with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and cognitively normal older adults (CN) to test whether NM-MRI signal in the LC could differentiate the groups and track cognitive performance. Recent studies have found that a novel type of MR imaging, neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) is capable of capturing decline in LC integrity with age and in some neurodegenerative conditions. Pathology of the LC has been hypothesized to play a role in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Norepinephrine neurons located in the locus coeruleus (LC) have been shown to gradually degenerate with normal aging and in neurodegenerative conditions. The Royal Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Canadaīackground: The norepinephrine system supports critical brain functions including arousal and memory.
