酰胺质子转移磁共振成像在阿尔茨海默病早期诊断中的研究

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1003-9198.2026.02.012

Abstract

Abstract: Objective To explore the application value of amide proton transfer (APT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods A total of 22 AD patients (AD group), 25 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI group), and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (NC group) were prospectively enrolled. All subjects underwent routine cranial MRI structural imaging and hippocampal APT imaging. The amide proton (3.5 ppm) asymmetry magnetization transfer rate (MTR_asym) of bilateral hippocampi and temporal cortices was measured on oblique axial APT images. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare MTR_asym(3.5 ppm) among the three groups. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered to all subjects, and partial correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between hippocampal MTR_asym(3.5 ppm) and MMSE score, with age and educational duration as control variables. Results The level of MTR_asym(3.5 ppm) of bilateral hippocampi increased sequentially in the NC, MCI, and AD groups: left hippocampus 0.84±0.26, 1.12±0.24, 1.56±0.31 (F=15.463, P＜0.001), right hippocampus 0.86±0.17, 1.16±0.26, 1.51±0.21 (F=17.221, P＜0.001). No significant interhemispheric differences of MTR_asym(3.5 ppm) of bilateral hippocampi and temporal cortex were observed within each group (P＞0.05). No significant differences in bilateral temporal cortex MTR_asym(3.5 ppm) were found among the three groups (P＞0.05). MTR_asym(3.5 ppm) of bilateral hippocampi were negatively correlated with MMSE scores (left: r=-0.627, P＜0.001; right: r=-0.614, P＜0.001). Conclusions APT imaging can quantify hippocampal metabolic abnormalities, and its MTR_asym(3.5 ppm) is significantly correlated with AD progression and cognitive function, demonstrating clinical value for early AD diagnosis and disease monitoring.

Key words: amide proton transfer, Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, hippocampus, temporal cortex

CLC Number:

LUO Jing, ZHANG Yufeng, GAO Xiaolong, GU Guojun. Application of amide proton transfer magnetic resonance imaging in early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease[J]. Practical Geriatrics, 2026, 40(2): 164-168.

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Application of amide proton transfer magnetic resonance imaging in early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

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