Thinner temporal and parietal cortex is related to incident clinical progression to dementia in patients with subjective cognitive decline

Abstract

Introduction We aimed to investigate if thinner cortex of the Alzheimer's disease (AD)-signature region was related to clinical progression in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Methods We included 302 SCD patients with clinical follow-up (≥1 year) and three-dimensional T1 magnetic resonance imaging. We estimated AD-signature cortical thickness, consisting of nine frontal, parietal, and temporal gyri and hippocampal volume. We used Cox proportional hazard models (hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals) to evaluate cortical thickness in relation to clinical progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia. Results After a follow-up of the mean (standard deviation) 3 (2) years, 49 patients (16%) showed clinical progression to MCI (n = 32), AD (n = 9), or non-AD dementia (n = 8). Hippocampal volumes, thinner cortex of the AD-signature (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 5 [2–17]) and various AD-signature subcomponents were associated with increased risk of clinical progression. Stratified analyses showed that thinner AD-signature cortex was specifically predictive for clinical progression to dementia but not to MCI. Discussion In SCD patients, thinner regional cortex is associated with clinical progression to dementia.