Yu Zhang1, 2, Norbert Schuff1, 2, Kristine Yaffe2, Howard Rosen2, Bruce Miller2, Michael Weiner1, 2
1Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases, VA Medical Center, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States; 2University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
Previous studies have used univariate tests of diffusion tensor metrics such as fractional anisotropy (FA) or radial diffusivity (DR) to classify mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects and healthy elderly controls. This study applied multivariate tests of DTI, including simultaneously all three diffusion tensor eigenvalues in a large sample of 54 MCI and 66 control subjects. The results show that multivariate tests of the diffusion eigenvalues detect regions of white matter alterations more consistently than univariate-tests. This method has potential to identify early cognitive impairment.