Parietal cortex matters in Alzheimer’s disease: an overview of structural, functional and metabolic findings

Publication year: 2011
Source: Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 30 June 2011
Heidi I.L., Jacobs , Martin P.J., Van Boxtel , Jelle, Jolles , Frans R.J., Verhey , Harry B.M., Uylings
Atrophy of the medial temporal lobe, especially the hippocampus and the parahippocampal gyrus, is considered to be the most predictive structural brain biomarker for Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD). However, recent neuroimaging studies reported a possible mismatch between structural and metabolic findings, showing medial temporal lobe atrophy and medial parietal hypoperfusion as biomarkers for AD. The role of the parietal lobe in the development of AD is only recently beginning to attract attention. The current review discusses parietal lobe involvement in the early stages of AD, viz. mild cognitive impairment, as reported from structural, functional, perfusion and metabolic neuroimaging studies. The medial…