M. Vittoria Spampinato1, Markus Weininger, Karen Patrick, Ryan Parker, Hrvoje Vavro2
1Radiology and Radiological Science, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; 2University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, Croatia
We assessed gender-specific differences in gray matter (GM) atrophy patterns in patients with conversion from amnestic mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Voxel-based morphometry was used to process longitudinal MR data obtained at 12 months intervals (from 12 months before, to 12 months after the diagnosis of AD). Baseline group comparison showed greater atrophy in the posterior cingulate gyrus in females than males. Longitudinal analyses revealed that the extent and distribution of GM atrophy in early AD is strongly influenced by gender, with faster rate of GM volume loss in men compared to women at the same disease stage.