Methods of Estimating Hippocampal Volume Loss in Alzheimer’s Disease

Pp: 88-102 (15)

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Abstract

Volumetric measurement of the Hippocampus is currently a growing and an upcoming area for a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. In the recent years, volumetric analysis of hippocampus in Alzheimer’s disease has received lot of attention due to close association of this structure in pathophysiology of this devastating disease. In the coming times, it may even be included as a formal part of clinical evaluation of dementia. However, as an evolving technique it has some issues, limitations and areas where agreement has not been achieved. Though now it is increasingly being practiced and accepted - there are some issues that need attention of researchers in this field. Some of the issues are: radiological definition i.e. what should be considered as Hippocampus and how much area is to be included for manual volumetry. Also, the development of population norms for a normative data for voxel based morphometry remains a challenge. Present chapter reviews these methods and issues.

Keywords: Hippocampal atrophy, hippocampal volume measurement, hippocampus, magnetic resonance imaging, morphometry, volumetry.

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